"Heaven and earth are merciless and treat myriad creatures like dogs of straw" (Lao Zi). Based on readings by John Gray and Isaiah Berlin, two English philosophers linked to the idea of ethical pluralism, we explore some of Western liberalism's internal contradictions. An approximation or parallelism with contemporary artistic practices is proposed in an experimental or heuristic way. The workshop has a practical dimension through open debate.

Gonçalo Pena (1967) lives and works between Lisbon and Guimarães, mainly in painting and drawing. Having been recognised for his dense, figurative painting, primarily until 2015, he has been restructuring all his work as metapainting, i.e. work that attempts to respond conceptually to the crossroads of the problem of painting today. This task is articulated with drawing and other possible media. His work in drawing has been published since 2014 by Mousse Publishing, with successive editions by João Maria Gusmão. He holds a PhD in Communication Sciences from FCSH-UNL (2020).