Guarulhos, Brazil, 1986.
Lives and works between Belo Horizonte and Salvador, Brazil.
Rafael RG is a visual artist and writer. His practice focuses on sexual and affective relationships and their political implications, and also racial identity issues. His researchers are usually transformed into workshops, installations, performative texts, publications, and objects. RG tends to bring together two sources to construct his works: one documental and the other affectivity. In general, his materials are documents collected in institutional or personal archives associated with narratives that might involve his own person or an alter ego. The interaction between these territorialities results in works that are almost always close to fiction, or deliver a tense notion of fictionality.
Graduated in Visual Arts from the School of Fine Arts of São Paulo. Among other awards, he received the 1st Foco ArtRio Prize, the Merit Award for Art and Heritage – IPHAN, Acquisition Award of São Paulo Cultural Center. His residencies include The Iberê Camargo Scholarship for residency at Künstlerhaus Bremen (2014), Pampulha Scholarship for residency at the Pampulha Museum of Art (2015-2016), SESC Frestas Triennial of Arts (2017) and Gasworks, London, UK (2018).
Education
2018 – 2016
– Masters Degree in Visual Arts and Literature,Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Belas Artes (UFMG), Brazil
2016
– 6th Pampulha Grant, Museu da Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
2015
– Intensive Summer program, EAVerão, directed by Lisette Lagnado, Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2013 – 2014
– Independent Program by São Paulo School (PIESP), directed by Adriano Pedrosa and Ana Paula Cohen, São Paulo, Brazil
2010 – 2006
– BA Degree in Visual Arts, University of Fine Arts of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
– Scholarship from: Programa Universidade para todos
2010
– Programa Máquina de Responder, Capacete and 29º São Paulo Biennial, São Paulo, Brazil
– International workshop’s program by:
– Ana Paula Cohen (BR), Raimundas Malasauskas (LIT), Santiago Garcia Navarro (ARG), Elfi Turpin (FR), Inti Guerreiro (COL), and others
2010 – 2009
– Study Group: “Relations between art, system of art, culture and society”, coordinated by PhD artist Ricardo Basbaum.
2005 – 2004
– Performing Arts Studies, Oficina Cultural Oswald de Andrade and SESC, São Paulo, Brazil.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2016
– “Panos de Mesa/ Objetos do Paraguay”, Sé Galeria, São Paulo, Brazil
2015
– “Política da boa vizinhança”, Proyectos Artbo 2015, Bogota, Colombia
2014
– “Ficções do Arquivo”, Aurora, São Paulo, Brazil
– “Uma Frase Comprida que termina com uma Palavra que é uma Frase”, (In collaboration with Efe Godoy), Galeria Lemos de Sá, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– “Dito Escuro”, (from the series Arquivo Mestiço), Paço Imperial, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
– “PS : Há alguma coisa que você espera de mim ?”, Sé Galeria, São Paulo, Brazil
– “Szpändengdoosi (Funding)”, Künstlerhaus Bremen, Germany
2013
– “Night Out”, Centro Brasileiro Britânico, Prêmio Cultura Inglesa, São Paulo, Brazil
– “O Museu invisível”, Centro Cultural São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
– “Até que provem o contrário”, Temporada de Projetos Paço das Artes, São Paulo, Brazil
– “Tudo poderia ser diferente do que foi, mas foi o que foi da forma que conhecemos”, FOCO ArtRio Prize, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2012
– “A la Ordem y Progresso”, (in collaboration with Fabiana Faleiros), El Parche Artist Residency, Bogotá, Colombia
– “Fiesta everywhere”, El Parche Artist Residency, Bogotá, Colombia
2011
– “Methodologies for Ghost Listening”, Copan building, São Paulo, Brazil
2010
– “Periods of duration”, University of Fine Arts of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
– “Interview to Hans Ulrich Obrist”, Book Launch at Galeria Vermelho, São Paulo, Brazil
Selected Group Exhibitions
2018
– “Da diversidade vivemos”, Galeria Periscópio, Belo Horizonte, MG
2016
– “Esforço-Desempenho”, curated by Germano Dushá, Galeria Athena Contemporânea, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2015
– “Empresa Colonial” curated by Tomás Toledo, Caixa Cultural, São Paulo, Brazil
– “Arte Pará”, State of Pará Museum, Belém do Pará, Brazil
– “O avesso do avesso do avesso”, curated by Maria Montero, Sé Galeria, São Paulo, Brazil
– “Como diz o outro”, project by Coletor, Nice Cópias, São Paulo, Brazil
– “Procura-se”, curated by Fernando Ticoulat, Tofiq House, São Paulo, Brazil
– “Encruzilhada”, curated by Bernardo Mosquera, Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
– “A mão em negativo”, curated by Bernardo de Souza, Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
– 19th Festival Video Brasil, Sesc Pompéia, Brazil
2014
– “A parte que não te pertence”, curated by Paulo Myada, Galeria maisterravalbuena, Madrid, Spain
– “Viva Maria”, curated by Maria Montero, Luciana Brito Galeria, São Paulo, Brazil
– “RE: pública”, curated by Estelle Neybart, Museum of the Republic, Galeria do Lago, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2013
– “Primeiro Ensaio”, curated by Bernardo Mosquera, Galeria Portas Vila Seca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
– “Amor e ódio a Lygia Clark”, curated by Magda Kardaz, Zachęta – Narodowa Galeria Sztuki, Warsaw, Poland
2012
– “Camp/Anti-Camp: A Queer Guide to Everyday Life”, Hebbel am Ufer 2, Berlin, Germany
2011
– “Power for the people”, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia
2010
– XIII SAMAP, Casarão 34, João Pessoa, Brazil
– 61º Salão de Abril, curated by Ivo Mesquita and Suely Rolnik, Ceará, Brazil
– Artist’s Book Fair in San Francisco, Latin American Books, curated by Martha Hellion, USA
2009
– “GRAPHIAS”, Memorial da America Latina, São Paulo, Brazil
Residencies
– Gasworks Residency Program, London, UK
– Pampulha Grant for residency program at Museu de Arte da Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– El Parche art residency, Bogota, Colombia
– W139 – Amsterdam (in colaboration with Fabiana Faleiros
– Zachęta – Narodowa Sztuki Gallery, Warsow, Poland
– Iberê Camargo Scholarship for residency program at Künstlerhaus Bremen, Germany
Awards
– 1st Foco ArtRio Prize, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
– Merit Award for Art and Heritage – IPHAN, Brazil
– Acquisition Award of São Paulo Cultural Center, São Paulo, Brazil
– Moldura Minuto Prize – Belo Horizonte, Brazil
– International Residency Prize, MINC
– Acquisition Prize -XIII SAMAP, Project PARAHYBA, João Pessoa, Brazil
Rafael RG-
My artistic practice can be described as a process of fictionalization. Contexts and real situations are dealt with through fiction. The exposure of the specificities of context allied to the process of fictionalization makes visible the self-reflexiveness of the work.
In other words, by bringing to the foreground hidden aspects of the production of the work and of its context, the work starts to operate, not only in the realm of art contemplation, but also as a critically active element in its own exhibition format. Also there is a specific interest in establishing relations between the legacy of Conceptual art and certain humor.
