BIO
Born in Luanda, (1978, Angola).
Pedro Pires uses different media, techniques, and everyday objects that are strongly utilitarian and mass produced to construct various figurative and conceptual meanings of identity in different societies. There is a constant concern to think about local and global issues, using references from traditional, popular, local or foreign contexts.
His work and research floats between three main subjects: a feeling of dislocated national identity; migration/refugees; and human rights. These three main subjects, which are interlocked, work as anchors for his practice and thinking.
He reflects on his political, economic and social position in Angola and Portugal, where his presence is very different.
These questions and personal life intersect with the contemporary reality of migration/refugees, bringing into discussion issues related to human rights.
He aims to question the present to think about the future.
His artistic career spans more than 10 years. His work has already been exhibited in places such as: Natural History Museum of Angola, Luanda, Angola; Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, Canada; 1:54 Art Fair and Christie’s, London, UK; Lagos Biennial, Nigeria; Cape Town Art Fair, South Africa; Grand Palais – ArtParis, France; Gallery Momo, Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa; Lorne Biennale, Australia: ExpoChicago, Chicago, USA.
Master in Fine Arts 09/10, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London, UK.
Graduated in 2005 with a BA in Sculpture by the Fine art Faculty of Lisbon, Portugal.
In 2004 obtained the Fine Art Erasmus Scholarship for the University of Athens.
Represented by Louisimone Guirandou Gallery (Ivory Coast).
Exhibitions | Residencies | Projects
2024
- Residency at Fondation Montresso, Jardin Rouge, Marrakesh, Morroco.
- "Chimères", group show, Blachere Foundation, Bonnieux, France.
2023
- Residency at Fondation Montresso, Marrakesh, Morroco.
- Singular Festival, Castelo Branco, Portugal.
- Residency at Fábrica da Criatividade for Singular Festival, Castelo Branco, Portugal.
- "Chimères", group show, Blachere Foundation, Bonnieux, France.
- "Paragone - What's with mediums today", group show, Water Museum, produced by This Is Not A White Cube, Lisbon, Portugal.
- "Untitled 3", group show, Banco Económico gallery, produced by This Is Not A White Cube, Luanda, Angola.
- Sculpture in the City Festival, 12th Edition, London, Uk.
- Arco Lisboa art fair, This Is Not A White Cube, Lisbon, Portugal.
- 1:54 New York, Art Fair, Lousimone Guirandou booth, New York, USA.
- Solo show "A vida longa das linhas retas", Camões - Portuguese Cultural Centre, Luanda, Angola.
- Cape Town Art Fair, This Is Not A White Cube, Cape Town, South Africa.
- Group show “Pocket Universes: The Policy of (Im)Possibilities, This Is Not A White Cube, Luanda, Angola.
- Sculpture in the City Festival, 11th Edition, London, Uk.
2022
- Group show “(Im)Materiality, Agueda Arts Center, Agueda, Portugal.
- ARTX Lagos, Lousimoneguirandou Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria.
- AKAA Art Fair, This Is Not A White Cube, Paris, France.
- 1:54 Art Fair, Lousimoneguirandou Gallery, London, Uk.
- Nocturnal Creatures 2022, Whitechapel Gallery, London, Uk.
- 11th Edition of the Sculpture in the City Festival, London, Uk.
- "Consequence" for WrongWrong Magazine, 21st Number, online magazine.
- Residency at Blachere Foundation, Apt, France.
- Dakar Biennale off program - Group show "Remous", Lousimone Guirandou Gallery, Gorée, Dakar, Senegal.
- Solo show "The Green Line", curated by Lourenço Egreja at This Is Not A White Cube, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Group show "Reflect #2 - Fragments, fragilities, memories" at the Museum of African Art, curated by Ana Knežević, Emilia Epštajn, Graça Rodrigues, and Sónia Ribeiro, Belgrade, Serbia.
- Solo show "The Practice of Everyday Life", Prior Art Space, Berlin, Germany
- Artistic residency at the Cuperior Collection, Berlin, Germany.
2021
- Solo Show "Dualité" at Louisimone Guirandou Gallery, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
- "Biso Biennial 2021", Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Cuperior Collection Award.
- Residency at Biso Biennial, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
- Group show "Incluir" Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa, Sintra, Portugal.
- Group show “Uma Viagem pelos múltiplos, VOL II”, Carpe Diem – Arte e Pesquisa, at CCC, Torres Vedras, Portugal.
- "Uninhabitable" at Pada Studios. Installation and brochure. Barreiro, Portugal.
- Public sculpture “Habitat”, Sotinco Factory, Pada Studios, Barreiro, Portugal.
- "Arco Lisbon Art Fair", with This Is Not A White Cube, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Poldra Van Public Sculpture, Viseu, Portugal.
- "Joburg Art Fair" with Gallery Momo, Johannesburg.
2020
- 1:54 Art Fair with This Is Not A White Cube, Somerset House, London.
- "FNB Art" Joburg Art Fair with Gallery Momo, Johannesburg.
- "Christies Pop Up Exhibition", Group show at Duke Street Gallery, Christies Headquarters, London.
- "Discursos de Decolonialidade", Group show, Not a Museum, curated by This Is Not A White Cube, Lisbon.
- "Arco Lisbon Art Fair", with This Is Not A White Cube, Lisbon.
- "Fucking Globo", group show at Hotel Globo, Luanda.
- "Habitat" Solo Show at Gallery MOMO, Johannesburg.
- Cape Town Art Fair, with Gallery Momo, Cape Town.
2019
- "Summer Show" Group show at Gallery MOMO, Cape Town.
- "Intersections - Within the Global South", Group show curated by Sónia Ribeiro and Graça Rodrigues, at Banco Económico in partnership with THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE and Gallery MOMO, Luanda, Angola.
- "Gardens" Solo show with TINAWC, curated by Graça Rodrigues and Sónia Ribeiro at AKAA Art Fair, Paris, France
- "Lagos Biennial | How to build a lagoon with just a bottle of wine?", Lagos, Nigeria.
- Joburg Art Fair with Gallery Momo, Johannesburg.
- "pH7 Interfaces / Corpo e Arquitectura" Solo show curated by Sónia Ribeiro and produced by TINAWC, at the National History Museum of Angola, Luanda.
- Public sculpture for Festival Política - Lisbon, Braga and Évora - Portugal.
- Artist residency at TINAWC, Luanda, Angola.
- Artball auction group show, A/D/O, New york.
- Arco Lisbon art fair, with Gallery MOMO, Lisbon.
- "Spaces in Between" Group show curated by André Cunha and Sónia Ribeiro, TINAWC (This is not a white cube), Lisbon.
- "Not A Museum" Group show curated Manuel Dias dos Santos, at Palais Castilho, Lisbon.
- "Six of one and half a dozen of the other" Solo show at Gallery MOMO, Cape Town.
- Cape Town Art Fair, with Gallery Momo, Cape Town
2018
- Artissima Art Fair, Turin, with TINAWC
- Group Show "Spring Group Show", Gallery Momo, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- ExpoChicago Art Fair, with Gallery Momo, Chicago, USA.
- Joburg Art Fair with Gallery Momo, Johannesburg.
- Public sculpture for Poldra Sculpture Public Project, Viseu, Portugal.
- Group Show "From Africa to the Americas - Picasso Face-To-Face, From Yesterday to Today" Montreal Fine Arts Museum, Canada.
- Cape Town Art Fair, with Gallery Momo, Cape Town
- Public sculpture for Lorne Sculpture Biennale, Lorne, Australia
2017
- Group show " A continent beyond", Gallery Momo Cape Town, South Africa.
- 1:54 Art Fair, with Gallery Momo, London, UK.
- AKAA Art Fair, with ELA - Espaço Luanda Arte, Paris, France.
- Group show "Blind date" (Carpe Diem Editions), Seul, South Korea.
- Solo show "3041,19km | Lisboa - Lesbos", curated by Inês Valle, Edge Arts, Espaço Amoreiras, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Group show "Luuanda", curated by Paula Nascimento and Suzana Sousa, Hangar, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Artist residency at Delfina Foundation, London, UK (June - August).
- Group show "Another Antipodes - Urban Axis" Group Show, PS Art Space, Perth, Australia.
- Group Show "Fazer Sentido", Casa da Cerca, Almada, Portugal.
- Group Show "Mu Seke", ELA - Espaço Luanda Arte, Luanda, Angola.
- Cape Town Art Fair, with Gallery Momo.
- Solo show "Doppelganger" at Gallery Momo, Cape Town, South Africa.
2016
- Solo show "Doppelganger", Gallery Momo, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Solo exhibition "Lisboa - Lesbos" at Window Gallery, Viseu, Portugal.
- Artist residency at Gallery Momo, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Group show "Objectos experimentais", Quinta da Cruz, Viseu, Portugal.
- Joburg art fair, with ELA - Espaço Luanda Arte, Johannesburg, South Africa.
2015
- Finalist of the Laguna Art Prize, exhibiting the work "It´s ok to do that" in Venice, Italy.
- Artist residency in Viseu (Portugal) which results in the show "Objectos Experimentais" in Jardim das Mães.
- Artist residency Jaango, Luanda, Angola.
- Group show of the 4th edition of JAANGO in Luanda, Angola.
- Solo exhibition "Destruição | Construção" at Tamar Golan Gallery, Luanda, Angola.
- Exploring the World" of Projecto 0,0º (João Dias + Pedro Pires) at Carpe Diem Arte e Pesquisa, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Included in the book "A face da arte angolana contemporânea", edition of Fundação Arte e Cultura, Angola.
2013
- Solo exhibition "Parede Mestra" at Arte Periférica Gallery in Lisbon, Portugal.
- Group show "Start 13 - The new industrialists", Bermondsey Project, London, Uk.
2012
- Finalist of ArteMar competition, with the sculpture "Casa de Areia". Group show in Cascais, Portugal.
- Solo exhibition "The Darkness" at the Belfry Gallery, London, UK.
- Group show "Concrete Buildings", Crypt Gallery, London, Uk.
2011
- Public sculpture "Homens que Navegam", Repsol petrol station in Figueira da Foz, Portugal.
- Group show "Re... Show", Out of the dark, High Wycombe, Uk.
- Project space at the Lisbon Art Fair, "Abrigo, caixa, casa, esconderijo, habitáculo" with Arte Periférica Gallery, Portugal.
2010
- "ArtBelow", London, UK.
- Lisbon Art Fair, with Arte Periférica Gallery, Portugal.
- Group show "Interim show", Barge House, London, Uk.
- Group show "MA Degree show", Central Saint Martins, London, Uk.
2009
- Lisbon Art Fair, with Arte Periférica Gallery, Portugal.
2008
- Group show "D'Forma na Fábrica", Fábrica da Pólvora, Lisbon, Portugal.
- "Habitar", solo show at Centro Cultural Mestre José Rodrigues, Alfandega da Fé, Portugal.
- Solo exhibition "Gunpowder men", DesignersDot Gallery, Athens, Greece.
- Public sculpture "Homem Muralha" in Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal.
- "Proxima paragem - Cultura" project in Lisbon, Portugal.
- Solo exhibition "Processos de (Auto) Distanciamento" at Gallery Arte Periférica, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Lisbon Art Fair, with Arte Periférica Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal.
- "Esta casa não se habita", hALL space, Lisbon, Portugal.
2007
- Solo exhibition "Corpo e Pele", Arte Periférica Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Solo exhibition "Desenhos de Pólvora" at the Lagar de Azeite Gallery, Oeiras, Portugal.
- Lisbon Art Fair, with Arte Periférica Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal.
2006
- Finalist of the 3rd edition of "Anteciparte". Group show in Terreiro do Paço, Lisbon, Portugal.
Biennials
Biso Biennale, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Lagos Biennial, 2019, Lagos, Nigeria.
Lorne Sculpture Biennial, 2018, Lorne, Australia.
Trienal de Luanda, 2010, Luanda, Angola. *
XIII Bienal de Cerveira, 2005, Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal
Collections
Fondation Montresso, Morroco
Blachere Foundation, France
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada
Camões - Cultural Centre, Angola
Flad Foundation, Portugal
Figueiredo Ribeiro collection, Portugal
João de Brito collection, Angola
Nuno Frota collection, Angola
PLMJ Foundation, Portugal
Mishcon de Reya collection, UK
Edge Arts, Portugal
Carpe Diem Editions, Portugal
Costa Lopes collection, Portugal
Africana Art Foundation, Angola/Portugal
Coca Cola collection, South Africa
Banco Económico collection, Angola
S&A collection, Porto, Portugal
Viseu Council, Portugal