MARCIO CARVALHO – Involuntary Memory
We have the pleasure to exhibit Involuntary Memory by Marcio Carvalho.
Press Release
Involuntary Memory
Collective technologies and practices of remembering and how they influence individual and group memory of past events is his primarily artistic focus. Some of his recent projects research the influences of history and storytelling on the formation of autobiographical and collective memory, and the reasons why some narratives became part while history excludes others. He is curious on the different modes of public commemorations, especially mnemonic signs and systems, that we engage with on a daily basis, to embody, represent and reenact particular narratives of the past. Mnemonic signs and systems grant an exclusive focus — monuments, statues, books, films, photographies, photo-albums, exhibits and other symbolic structures — that commemorate the influences of history on the formation of autobiographical and collective memory. To complement his work and research on collective memory formation he is driven to understand the forces of storytelling on our individual and collective bodies. Some of his last works have investigated on different social groups – such as his family – and through qualitative interviews and collaborative videos and performances, he has collected and act upon their autobiographical memories of various events, namely the experience of colonization and displacement. Both these latter methods try to examine and act upon biological, social and political factors, responsible for disrupting the formations of individual and collective narratives.
Biography
Márcio Carvalho, born 1982, lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Collective technologies and practices of remembering and how they influence individual and group memory of past events is his primarily artistic focus. Mnemonic signs and systems grant an exclusive focus — monuments, statues, books, films, photographies, photoalbums, exhibits and other symbolic structures — that commemorate the influences of history on the formation of autobiographical and collective memory. Márcio works with performance art, installation, photography and video. Carvalho exhibit his work in Brazil, Cameroon, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, United States of America, among other 11 countries. He is also the co-founder and curator of the performance art program named COLAB editions. He was the founder and art director of the artist residence program Hotel25 in Berlin, and he initiated “The Powers of Art”, the first international TV Show dedicated to showcasing a crossing between performing arts and paranormal activity.
Solo shows: 2015 — If My Grandmother Was a Historian, Atelierhof Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany; 2014 — Giving Contours to Shadows, Gemäldegalerie, a NBK and Savvy Contemporary project, Berlin, Germany.
Group shows (a selection): 2015 — Floating Platforms, an art and science proiject, Turku, Finland; Verbo Festival, Galeria Vermelho, São Paulo, Brazil; Steirischer Herbst Festival, Graz, Austria; 2014— Organization for Human Brain Mapping Annual Congress, CCH – Congress Center Hamburgo, Germany; The Bodies We Tell, National Gallery for Contemporary Art Yaoundé, Camaroon; 2013 — Miami Performance International Festival, Miami, Florida, USA; Uprooted/Fake Nations Festival, Helsinki, Finland; LIVE Biennale of Performance Art, Vancouver, Canada; 2012 — 7a11d, festival of performance art, Toronto, Canada; RAVY Biennial, Yaoundé, Camaroon; Paersche, performance art event, Cologne/Bonn, Germany; Extension Extra, Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz, Berlin, Germany; 2011 — Nomadic Settlers, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany; Infraction Festival, Sete, France; Kontrapunkt Festival, Szczecin, Poland; 24h Festival, Szczecin, Poland; Infraction festival, Venice, Italy; 2010 — Project Brand New, Project Arts Centre, Dublin, Ireland; Home Sweet Home Festival, Werkstatt der Kulturen, Berlin, Germany; ExtensionSeries 5, Grimmuseum, Berlin, Germany; The Powers of Art, AlexTV, Berlin, Germany.
Márcio Carvalho is an artist represented by EMERGE Contemporary Art Agency. See his full curriculum at http://bit.ly/mcvl-art