Manifesto
Defining art for the 21st century 

... painting, the first of the sciences, in Leonardo da Vinci's words, represents the human manifestation that allows the scientist, the archaeologist, to demonstrate the presence of and to define the existence of Homo sapiens sapiens that has been populating the earth for tens of thousands of years;
... painting always remains present in the presence of Man;
... painting creates new sciences, techniques and technologies, through skill and art; it creates the world and vision of the world; it creates the world created by Man, so there are no objects, ...no clothing, utensils, machines, aeroplanes, rockets or satellites, cities, communication structures, nor equipment, ...there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that Man creates has no drawing ...having nothing means having no painting;
... painting always remains present, incorporating new sciences, techniques and technologies;
... painting does not mean that its image, values and definition are used in this or that technique or technology nor in the technical formalism of the best professional, but that they are dependent on the capacity of the individual to create the world (the Objects) and its representation - to create the vision of the world in every moment (human, social, historical,...);
... painting, which in a given period of time (which it needs to analyse itself to develop its episteme) was a mere surface covered with colours brought together in some way, has always remained present (for tens of thousands of years), telling us that it is not only this;
... painting, which always remains present, is painting that is defined for the 21st century, confronting with acephalia, blindness, autism, absence of values, populism, ... attributes that are so characteristic in formal art;
... painting that is defined for the 21st century is concerned with the planet, humanity, the real, social, human world, and Man as a whole in existence.
... painting that is defined for the 21st century is research, constant work of reflection, the study of procedure in which it develops, ... that's why it is art for art; it is painting that always remains present while Man is present.

This is what we are doing at exstare, the art galery, or anti-galery ...

Faro 2001, Noémio Ramos