ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

GABRIEL MORAES AQUINO

18.07.-18.08.2023

NEW PANGAEA
Open cultural event by Gabriel Moraes Aquino, with the special guest Nicolas Faubert

Thu, 3.8., 19:00-21:00 + time of conviviality

@ Niki Studio, Weißenburgstraße 2A, 30161 Hannover, Germany

"New Pangaea" is an immersive, experimental event developed by Brazilian artist and cultural organiser, Gabriel Moraes Aquino. With a special guest appearance from the multidisciplinary French-Gabon artist, Nicolas Faubert, this event forms part of Gabriel's current residency at Niki Residency and seeks to present a cultural ecosystem where unity is experienced through movement.

Scheduled for August 3rd at Weißenburgstraße 2A, 30161 Hannover, Germany, the event will run from 19h to 21h + conviviality moment and is set to include several interactive segments:

Introductions: The evening will commence with introductions from Gabriel, providing the audience with an overview of his practice, his artistic journey, and this collaborative work with Nicolas and their NGO. This background will serve as a precursor for the event, setting the context for the immersive experiences to follow.

Collective Practice: Following the introductions, Gabriel and Nicolas will delve into the concept of their collective practice, which largely operates through the network of the association they are both part of. This discussion will lay the groundwork for the communal exploration of movement in the subsequent segments.

Immersion: As the evening progresses, attendees will be invited to step into the realm of "New Pangaea", participating in a shared exploration of movement, from everyday actions to elaborate dance sequences. This collective immersion serves as the cornerstone of the event, establishing the universal language of movement.

Situation Setting: In this interactive segment, attendees will be placed in a variety of scenarios to explore and express their individual and collective identities. This immersive experience encourages genuine inclusion and mutual understanding among participants.

Open Exchange: The event will conclude with a free-form period of exchange and conviviality, allowing participants to process their experiences, share their insights, and forge deeper connections.

ABOUT

Born in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Gabriel Moraes Aquino now lives and works in Paris. He graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2020.

The malleability of photography often surfaces in Gabriel Moraes Aquino's practice. Whether it is capturing a wander through Paris on Brazil's Independence Day in "Parada crua" (2020), or installing prints of European palms in "Negative Palms" (2021-2022), his use of the medium explores tropicalism and mobility. The artist's simple actions – exchanging words and coconuts in "Fortune Coconuts" (2021) or offering a "Friendly haircut" (2018) – gently counterbalance issues of geographical distance and cultural displacement while creating spaces of conviviality, both physically and conceptually. His commitment to local-scale work and the relationships that develop therein, often conducted in situ, is evident. Despite numerous relocations, Moraes Aquino has been based in France since 2017. After graduating from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2020, he has journeyed through artist residencies at the Cité des Arts, the Fiminco Foundation, and now at Artagon Pantin. The community he integrates into gives rise to his most recent project, merging collaboration and the world of performance art that he cherishes.

"Battle Piece" (2022 - present) revolves around a community of dancers and a collaboration with Nicolas Faubert. By orchestrating duels of hip hop and various styles, these face-offs rhythmically decompartmentalize established groups, crystallizing time around moving bodies. For the artist, movement becomes dialogue; dance becomes "a language we all speak." From these events will come a series of films, the first chapter presenting dance as an act of survival, sketching a landscape of relationships, where the absence of subtitles suffices - as in our everyday lives - and makes us ponder what coexistence means. The shared conception of this project solidifies the artist's ties to collaborative work, traceable since the inception of his plastic art practice as a member of the Gregário collective in Rio de Janeiro. — Text by Alexia Pierre