Carlos Azeredo Mesquita

Über Alles explores the trite, universal nature of modern nationalism, which has infiltrated our daily life in the shape of small symbols and speech habits that define the notion of “us”.
Using national anthems as a starting point, we analyse both history and stories, and iconographic and sociological elements. We reflect upon the role these songs play in the building of the nation’s mythology and in the inclusion and exclusion dynamics associated with this process.
Who are these “heroes of the sea” who will “once again today” raise “the splendour of Portugal”? Must “the distinguished forefathers” who enslaved entire nations be the ones who continue to represent the notion of being Portuguese? After all, who is really part of such “noble people”?
— Carlos Azeredo Mesquita


Carlos Azeredo Mesquita is a visual and performance artist. He studied graphic design at the University of Porto and photography at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest. His first stage creation, Diet Plan for the Western Man, premiered at the Berlin Biennale 2018. With Luísa Saraiva he co-created I Know it when I See it, in 2019. He has been showing his work regularly both in Portugal and abroad.