2023 Residency:
André Azevedo

André Azevedo (Curitiba, 1977) studied Industrial Design at Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR) and holds a degree in Visual Arts from Centro Universitário Belas Artes in São Paulo. He develops a continuous investigation into textile and linguistic construction techniques, manipulating the ordinary matter of the world and adding symbolic layers to these elements.

His research with fabrics stems from his personal and familial experience with this materiality. From this intimate connection, Azevedo began to understand textiles simultaneously as language, concept, and materiality, which allows him numerous forms of interaction with the world. The starting point for his works comes from the etymology of the word "text" and a recurring quotation among several authors: “Text means fabric, and a line is a thread of a linen fabric.”

Azevedo explores the structure of weaving within the universe of storytelling, using notions of "following the thread," "backdrop," and "knotless stitch," among other figures of speech. The fabric serves as a metaphor to address the idea that things happen through interweaving: they follow patterns of repetition, transmit processes, and consequently revive images. Azevedo asserts that fabric is a medium because it is in-between—between man and the world, and between the world and all the things it covers—and thus employs various malleable supports, such as books, screens, videos, and sound installations.

The artist has held solo exhibitions such as “Anverse” (2022) at Simões de Assis, Curitiba; “Antropologia do Entrelaçamento” (2020) at Simões de Assis, São Paulo; “Poems” (2020) at Simões de Assis, Online Exhibition; “André Azevedo & James English Leary” (2017) at Simões de Assis, Curitiba; and “Tropical Reminiscence” at Joyce Gallery, Beijing. His group exhibitions include: “Brasilidade - Pós-modernismo” (2022) at CCBB - Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro; “Máscaras: Fetiches e Fantasmagorias” (2022) at Paço das Artes, São Paulo; “Afinidades” (2021) at Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Curitiba; “XXII Bienal Internacional de Curitiba, Luz versus Luz” (2015) at Museu de Arte Contemporânea do Paraná, Curitiba. His works are part of important collections such as MAD/NY, Albers Foundation/USA, MAR/RJ, MON/Curitiba, and MAC/PE, Olinda. In 2022, Azevedo completed an artistic residency at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Bethany, United States