The exhibition, titled "Portuguese: An Ocean of Culture", is open to the public at the Charles Brasch Court in the University of Otago Central Library until April 25.
As part of a Portuguese and Brazilian Film Festival, a series of free R13 films will be screened at the Burns 2 lecture theatre in the university Arts Building at 6pm on the following Mondays: April 20 and 27; May 4, 11, 18 and 25.
The acting Brazilian ambassador, Maria Escorel, also came to Dunedin to promote aspects of Portuguese language and culture.
University officials said Otago had begun offering a "minor" in Portuguese this year and a diploma in language endorsed in Portuguese.
These moves had resulted from an agreement signed in 2007 between the university and the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Students could study Portuguese as a global language at the university, with an emphasis on the Brazilian variety during the first year of study and the European form included in second and third-year studies.
Mr Mendes, who is based in Canberra and is also the Portuguese ambassador to Australia, said he had been impressed by Otago University and the high quality of its library facilities.
He hoped that an agreement signed with the New Zealand Government last year would make it easier for recent university graduates from either Portugual or New Zealand to undertake working holidays in the other country.
There are about 250 million Portuguese speakers throughout the world, including 10 million in Portugual and 190 million in Brazil.
Last year, Otago University had 486 enrolments in Spanish language and culture classes, and 42 in Portuguese.
