João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva

Portugal, 1979 and 1977
João Maria Gusmão and Pedro Paiva met while attending the course of Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Lisbon. In their artistic practice, they explore extensively various media, including photography, sculpture, writing, installation and, in particular, 16mm film. The fusion between art and science is a unique and constant feature in their projects, as is the use of absurdity, humor and illusion tricks. Gusmão and Paiva build narratives that often present natural and physical phenomena or even doubts about human perception and faculties. During their journey, they held multiple national and international exhibitions. In 2004, they were awarded the EDP New Artists Prize and, in 2009, they were one of the youngest artists ever to represent Portugal at the 53rd Venice Biennale.