Matilde Viegas captures Portuguese market cacophony in Dia de Feira

Portuguese photographer Matilde Viegas created the series Dia de Feira (Fair Day) to counter the frictionless automation of modern life, focusing on the bustling bodies and clashing senses of local markets. The project began after writer and podcast host Gem Fletcher suggested Viegas try something simpler and more playful. Viegas, who had lost touch with her creative spark amid freelance monotony, returned to the markets she visited as a child with her mother. She prioritized conversation over making 'good' photographs, letting the camera become secondary. The series features portraits of sellers and market-goers paired with still lifes of denim, nuts, eggs, and moments of contrast like delicate lace on plastic hangers. Viegas attended the market regularly with her family and partner Mafalda Salgueiro, who filmed a short to accompany the photos. The project was exhibited at Leica Gallery in Porto, curated by Magda Pinto, with images displayed on three-metre-high tarps. Viegas hopes the exhibition will tour, taking the cacophony of Portuguese markets to new audiences.