Munich based artist Diogo da Cruz has been selected for Salta’s 2023 residency at Pivô in São Paulo, Brazil!
The artist will head to São Paulo, Brazil on August 14 for a stay at Pivô, a downtown nonprofit art space in a building designed by Oscar Niemeyer.
Da Cruz produces partially fictitious scenarios based on scientific findings that refer to past, present or future socio-political scenarios. Taking its form as installation, sculpture or video work, his practice relies on the power of speculation and mythology to re-activate and reinvent new histories and geographical spaces.
Pivô is a non-profit art space that acts as a platform for cultural exchange, critical thinking and artistic experimentation from its location in downtown São Paulo. The residency program of Pivô, Pivô Research is divided into three cycles per year, each lasting 12 weeks and receiving up to nine artists per cycle. For each cycle, a selection of guest curators are invited to support the group and work in collaboration with Pivô’s curatorial team. In addition to the curatorial support, Pivô provides a program of events, workshops and activities for its participants, announced at the beginning of each cycle.
Da Cruz’s selection was made by Salta art’s committee members, Maurin Dietrich (director, Kunstverein München), Kiki Mazzucchelli (artistic director, Luisa Strina) and José Roca (artistic director, 23rd Biennale of Sydney, director, FLORA ars+natura) in conversation with representatives from Pivô.
During his residency at PIVÔ Art and Research in collaboration with Salta art, Diogo da Cruz produces the third episode of the sci-fi series AXECIDYR. With the first two episodes having been filmed in Europe and the Azores Archipelago, the third episode aims to shift the focus to Brazil’s coastline, specifically exploring the history of colonial crimes and current natural resource extraction initiatives that mirror historical violence.
Weaving together the Afrofuturist nautical myth of Drexciya with concerns about the potential repercussions of deep-sea mining, his work explores the ecological impact of humans on the ocean and the relationship between water and memory. By incorporating historical and geopolitical contexts, especially those related to Brazil’s “Blue Amazon” marine territory, da Cruz’s project aims to shed light on pressing issues tied to extraction and environmental sustainability. Da Cruz intends to explore locations in northeast Brazil, particularly Salvador de Bahia, the former colonial capital and the centre for afro-brazilian culture, offering opportunities to capture not only the natural beauty of the “Blue Amazon”, but also highlight some key historical references . He will be staying at Pivó Salvador from October 6-17.
This project will be realized in collaboration with sound artist Fallon Mayanja, with whom da Cruz has also worked over the past few years. They have created sculptures and sound performances inspired by dialogues concerning the memory of colonial history and the unsustainable extraction of natural resources. Ultimately, AXECIDYR not only extends the narrative of Drexciya but also serves as a platform for probing socio-political criticism, ecological concerns, and the power of imaginative storytelling.