Guarulhos, 1986. Lives in Belo Horizonte
In seminar format, Ano passado eu morri, mas esse ano eu não morro [Last year I died, but this year I won’t] was devised during Rafael RG’s residence in Sorocaba. The starting point was a pile of correspondence the artist came across at the São Paulo Municipal Archive between the artist Victor Brecheret (1894-1955) and the São Paulo Municipal Department of Culture concerning an outstanding payment owed to the artist. After finding this material, RG wrote a play in conjunction with an actor from Sorocaba, chosen by open audition. The piece deals with such issues as artistic remuneration, the relationship between creation and craft, and passion, both for others or for one’s own work.
The economics of emotion at play in the artwork and the limits between the prosaic and the formal are constant themes for RG. His exhibitions tend to mix documental sources (personal or from archives) and dynamics in order to create some sort of connection, perhaps an open call, a date, or a workshop. This allows him to meld issues of desire with his own work, and to take an ironic stab at the often cold and impersonal ways of the art system. During his Frestas residence, RG also proposed a workshop entitled Esqueça o futuro – arte contemporânea como solução para problemas amorosos e outros tipos de problemas [Forget the future – contemporary art as a solution to love and other worries], in which he encouraged participants to consider interventions for the city of Sorocaba based on this self-help pitch. In O momento presente [The present moment], he staged short, unannounced plays at Sesc’s recreational spaces.
[UC]
