Artists from Mozambique and Singapore win Prémio Paulo Cunha e Silva

The winner of the third edition of Prémio Paulo Cunha e Silva have been revealed, as well as the institutions where they will develop their artistic residences: Marilú Mapengo Námoda will go to the archipelago – Centro de Artes Contemporâneas, in Azores; Luis M. S. Santos will go to Cove Park, in Ireland; and Kent Chan will go to Pivô Arte e Pesquisa, in Brazil.

The selection was made by a jury with Marie Hélène Pereira, Ciara Philips and Letícia Ramos and the starting point were the works presented at the exhibition still in display in the Galeria Municipal do Porto, together with the analysis of the global path of the artists and the characteristics of each of the three places of residence.

From Mozambique, Marilú Mapengo Námoda is an artist and activist who questions the possibility of love as a political tool to cure the colonial wound in its multiple expressions: racism, sexism, classism, among others.

Based on the residence program of the Archipelago, which “places enphasis on the need for contemporary societies to be in permanent reflexions given the constant changes people face on the political, geopolitical, economic, financial, social, cultural and technological level”, the jury believes “the artists Marilú Mapengo Námoda will contribute to construct critical reflexions about the role of artists and art practitioners in the transformation of society”.

Also from Mozambique, Luis M. S. Santos is a sculptor and designs his pieces as living entities, inhabitants from natural and hostile environments, away from society. The cultural and social context served as a base to believe in the disharmony between the human and nature, embodied in the forms, textures, colours and contrasting materials, enriched by rhythmic games, by breaks and fluidity.

As for the attribution of residence at Cove Park to the artist, the juries considered that he would benefit from being “surrounded by a community of practicing colleagues”, as well as from the contact opportunities with the dynamic artistic scene in Glasgow”, which could lead this experience to “open opportunities so that the work developed by Santos is seen in new contexts”.

As for Kent Chan, he is from Singapore. Artist, curator and cineaste, his practice goes around cross between art, fiction and cinema, forming a triarchy of porous practices in form, in content and in context. He is particularly interested in the tropical imaginary, in the past relations between heat and art and in the contestation of the legacies of modernity as epistemology.

In Pivô, the juries believe the artist will integrate “the diversity of knowledge about the urban tropical scenery”, with the value of sharing with resident artists from different locations, contexts and references of Brazil.

The three prized artists were selected from a total of 9 people who integrate the exhibition of this year Prémio Paulo Cunha e Silva. The nomination was responsibility of three figures with known paths in Contemporary Art: Euridice Zaituna Kala, Márilu Mapengo Námoda, Luis M. S. Santos were nominated by artist Ângela Ferreira; Rouzbeh Akhbari, Kent Chan, Hira Nabi, nominated by a director of the Jan van Eyck Academie, Hicham Khalidi; Maren Karlson, Malik Nashad Sharpe (Marikiscrycrycry) and Eve Stainton, nominated by cultural programmer Tabitha Thorlu-Bangura.

The exhibition of Prémio Paulo Cunha e Silva can be visited until the 27th of August at the Galeria Municipal do Porto, with a special schedule during the first weekend of the Feira do Livro do Porto. On the 26th, at 4 pm, the last guided tour through the exhibition will occur, focusing on the works of the winning artists.

All information can be found at Galeria Municipal do Porto website.