Zém - Art Warehouses

It used to be an old cork factory. It worked hard for many years, and once it closed, was slowly forgotten. It was known by the owner’s name, Senhor Chico Velha, grandfather of Ana Isabel Palma - who saved it from neglect.

The granddaughter of this old industrialist and her husband Paulo Penisga, started work on this project about three years ago. A large portion of the time was spent on restorative building works. “We wanted to create a contemporary space, whilst at the same time preserving rustic elements”, explains Palma.

“In the beginning we thought about making only a gallery”. But as time went on, to give some sustainability to the project, and also to open it up to the community, the idea to create a café/ bar with 101 different teas as the main attraction was born.

Everything was financed by the couple themselves. “We had the support of the «In Loco» association, which helped make European funds available for incentive inland businesses. It was a huge investment of around 90 thousand euros”, reveals Paulo Penisga, known for his entrepreneurial spirit and love of the arts.

The first collective exhibition is made up of works by four artists. Possibly the most well known is potter Heitor Figueiredo (Braga, 1952). His work “recalls a child’s universe” and is “extremely interesting”. There are canvases signed by Ivo (Lisboa, 1959), a respected artist who was part of the Homeostetic Movement - a forefront group which sprung up in Lisbon at the beginning of the 80’s - and photography by Rui António, a local talent who has collaborated before with the «Em Cena» magazine, and has an interesting career.

Finally, there are the painstakingly detailed drawings of Inez Wijnhorst. “Our aim is to show artists in an intermediate way - those who are already relatively well-known, and who can trust us as we are just starting out on this adventure. Later on, we would like to introduce a new artist here and there, or help them become more well-known. But overall, we want this to be a serious venture”, says Paulo Penisga.

“In the future, we will have workshops of all sorts. We will have a mufla (high temperature oven) for raku ceramics, painting, and we’ll invite different people to come and hold classes and short courses”, Palma adds. In the meantime, the building itself is of great interest. There are fascinating details throughout: a heavy old metal cogwheel, which in days gone by was used to lift the heavy cork bales, immediately catches the eye. It’s a piece of industrial archeology “which was to be thrown out” together with all the rubble from a neighbouring urbanisation, which has been given a new life here. There are old Portuguese tiles on the walls, and all the tables are decorated with original paintings and collages.

Another noteworthy item is a huge old photograph that represents the memory of the place. “We think we should pay homage to my grandfather, as well as the men who worked and passed through here”, explains Palma. The “Zem” is “as if it were our living room open to the public. We enjoy being here and we want other people to feel the same way”, concludes Penisga.

Opening hours until the end of August are from 3pm to 1am, and during September they are: Monday - Wednesday from 9.30am to 10pm, Friday + Saturday from 9.30am to 1pm and Sunday from 2pm to 8pm. Closed on Thursdays, the warehouse is right next to the town fire station.