Luís Damião
Luís Damião (b. 1978, Luanda, Angola) is best known for his photography work, which integrates a strong component of research and experimentation. Namely, the artist focuses on developing unconventional production and presentation methods, integrating a generation of emerging artists whose new perspectives around traditional compositions are highly influenced by the age of digital technology and image manipulation.
Aesthetically, his constructions often refer to the universe of documentary photography, but simultaneously to an elaborate staging of the images. This performative aspect of his work results in the recurring fading of the border between what is real - documental - and what is fiction and is often used to emphasize proposals for reflection on the social and political experiences of Luanda’s urban context.
Luís Damião was born into a family with strong artistic roots, his father Paulino Damião (Kota 50) being a photographer and photojournalist, and his brother Lino Damião, also an artist. Influenced and incentivized by his family, he was early involved in the art world as an autodidact. Later on, he attended the Visual Arts course at the former Barracão, organized by the Swedish Embassy in Angola, and in 2002, presented himself publicly for the first time. Since then, he has been exhibiting and collaborating on cultural projects regularly.
In 2020, his work “Coronavírus” was awarded the special prize of photography and the Alliance Française Prize – Ensa Arte 2020, in Luanda. As part of this award, Damião took part in an artistic residency in Paris in 2021, funded by the Embassy of France. In the same year, he completed two other artistic residencies: in Lisbon, supported by THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE Art Gallery, and in Porto, by d’O INSTITUTO. Furthermore, in the context of AKKA – Art & Design Fair 2021, the book “À rebrousse-temps” - which includes an essay devoted to Damião’s artistic production by the curator Dénètem Touam - was launched.
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