Plácido 'Pocho' Guimaraes
Plácido “Pocho” Guimaraes (b. Malabo, Equatorial Guinea) carries on the tradition of Equatorial Guinean textile craft practice, which has been passed down from generation to generation in local communities and Bubi culture. Using dance, symbols, and experiences to enrich his current works, he contemporizes these traditions, reconnecting with his cultural and family roots. Guimaraes is a disciple of Josep Grau-Garriga and uses the high heddle technique rather than traditional looms. The unusual materials he incorporates into his work are fabrics of African origin; old newspapers and waste materials, as well as objects found in the cities and natural environments around Malabo and Madrid. These found residual elements carry personal or family meanings, with each of the works he produces referring to a specific theme and reality of his immediate environment: his political dissent, family customs, and rituals. Touch and the tactile nature of his work are highly important elements to help narrate the personal stories of Bubi culture, so relevant to his history.
Equatorial Guinea achieved independence from Spain in 1968 when Guimaraes was 17 years old. His grandfather, Francisco Malabo, recognised as the last Bubi king, was in charge of his education until he was 10 when he was admitted to the La Salle school in Malabo. There, he was tutored by Teodoro Obiang Nguema (now President of Equatorial Guinea). The events and the political figures involved in the independence and the dictatorship of Macías Nguema (former President of Equatorial Guinea), marked his life politically. The persecution by Nguema directly implicated Guimaraes, whose Father was imprisoned, tortured, and killed by the regime in 1971. Guimaraes sees his country submerged under the current dictatorship of President Obiang, whose rule is considered one of the most repressive in the world. Wanting to escape from these inequalities encountered in his home country, he has been largely self-exiled in Spain since he was 19 years old.
His political and cultural concerns led him to Kyiv in 1975, where he studied Urban Planning. Upon returning to Spain, he studied Fine Arts in Valencia, exploring many visual languages and collaborations in the world of dance, theatre, and cinema. Pocho Guimaraes has been participating in exhibitions since 1984 and currently resides in Spain, though had returned to Equatorial Guinea in 2005, where he lived on the island of Bioko until 2019, undergoing the traditional ceremonies that he was unable to perform due to his early departure.
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