We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings,
we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the website. Learn more about out privacy policy

Close

21 - 30/06/2019

Nástio Mosquito during Festival 2018 / fot. Klaudyna Schubert
GalleryNástio Mosquito during Festival 2018 / fot. Klaudyna Schubert

Nástio Mosquito is one of the most distinct and charismatic creators from the generation of 30-year-old visual and performative artists. He does video projects, audiovisual installations, as well as stand-ups, happenings, politically engaged performances in which he uses various media, such as music, image or text. "Be mindful" – he urges the reader in his Curatorial text.

Mosquito sucks the audience deep into a narrative that is intensive both in terms of the visual side and the language. He combines popular culture, superficiality and absurd humour with a reflection on conflicts and real threats to the modern world. He takes on subjects such as identity, violence and colonialism. The artist asks inconvenient questions, provokes and enquires, asking in one interview: "What are you ready to die for?".

He was born in 1981 in Angola, and is no stranger to the colonial ordeal and war in his country which lasted for decades, even though he’s been living in Europe for many years. He exhibited his works in places like Tate Modern, MoMA, as well as in museums, theatres and festivals in Belgium, France, Germany and Portugal. He also cooperates with institutions in Luanda. Additionally, his works will be showcased at this year’s Biennale in Venice.

PEACE IS WAR. WAR IS PEACE

Army of the Individual, Malta Festival’s Idiom this year, stems from the conviction that conflict is the underlying force that determines the dynamic of our lives. Which is why with this year’s program, we will take a look at how war and peace intertwine, and we shall do so from many different angles. Nástio Mosquito is most interested in our daily war - the civilised one, domesticated and inscribed into our mundane lives. It is war contained in the image, in the word, and in the body which has been conditioned by and involved in it, and which is trying to liberate itself from the discipline and the dynamic of violence.

“War and peace” - it is impossible to consider these notions in isolation. War is the fabric of our everyday lives, while in some countries it has lasted for so long that the people have forgotten what peace is even like. Nonetheless, historians and philosophers alike argue that we are currently enjoying the most peaceful period in human history. As conflicting messages generate friction, some questions inevitably emerge. “Who draws the line between war and peace? Where is war being waged?” - ask Kasia Tórz and Dorota Semenowicz, the women in charge of the festival’s program.

The curator’s response to these concerns is nothing other than precisely Army of the Individual, which signifies the need to put reality in order and attain discipline, simultaneously stressing the importance of expressing individuality and creativity. During the festival, Nástio Mosquito will present his two premiere projects. First, On June 22 (evening), an audiovisual happening inspired by the act of documenting the birth of a person will officially inaugurate the Idiom.

Then, there is „No.One.Gives.A.Mosquito’s.Ass.About.Us” - an ironic take on the karaoke format, and an intense, energetic relationship with the spectator. Mosquito likes to call his project ‘the best karaoke session in the world’, and will host it in Zamek Culture Centre and a number of clubs in Poznań. Consider yourself invited!

MEET ARMY OF THE INDIVIDUAL

To create the festival’s program, Nástio Mosquito has invited artists from all corners of the world, each from a vastly different social and cultural background. Together, they form the eponymous Army of the Individual.

All the invited artists will debut in Poland. Benjamin Abras, together with Poznanians , wants to deal with the issue of experiencing multiculturalism through his dance workshops. Priscila Rezende also intends engage in direct dialogue with the audience by staging a performative city intervention. Alice Joana Gonçalves, Lisbeth Gruwez and Radouan Mriziga will present their dance spectacles, while Vic Pereiro will enchant us with his immersive audiovisual installation. Kelly Schacht will tackle the Idiom’s theme directly, surprising the audience with her site specific performative acts inspired by Army of the Individual. Our movie repertoire includes a selection of productions by Geração 80, a platform for young Angolan filmmakers, as well as a number of movies by Li Ran, an emerging star in Chinese art world.


Powrót do informacji prasowych