Kadija de Paula & Chico Togni
area: Visual Art
Key Facts
nationality
Brazil, Canadaarea
Visual Artresidence
Rio de Janeirorecommending institution
frei_raum Q21 exhibition spacetime period
January 2017 - January 2017Kadija de Paula (*1980 Curitiba) is an artist, micro-political activist and a self-revolutionary, interested in the transformative powers of the experimental exercise of freedom, autonomous collaborations, networked individualities, and invisible work. She has a Masters of Cultural Management and International Relations from the Schulich School of Business of York University (Toronto, 2011) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Arts and Design (Toronto, 2005). She was manager and facilitator of residencias_en_red [iberoamérica], a platform of artist residencies in Latin America and Spain (2011-2012). She was one of the co-funders and Agent Orange of the collective Agência Transitiva (2013-2015). Acted as Visual Arts consultant for UNESCO in a partnership with the Brazilian Ministry of Culture (2015-2016), while simultaneously making a ton of dough at the pizzeria Ferro & Farinha. Currently, Kadija explores processes of natural fermentation, self-organization and informal economy in collaboration with local and international artists and organizations. In 2016 she was resident chef at Cozinha CAPACETE, an experimental equipment to make, think and share food and all that it implicates, in Rio de Janeiro.
Chico Togni (*1981 Itajubá). Bachelor in Sculpture from the São Paulo University in 2005. In 2012 did the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship with the subject “Technical and Constructive Solutions in Invention and Aerospace Machinery” in Washington D.C., EUA. Received the Projéteis Prize of Contemporary Art by Funarte-RJ (2008), 14o Salão de Arte Contemporânea MACC and Centro Cultural São Paulo acquisition Prizes. Solo shows at La Maudite Gallery - Paris (2014), Centro Cultural São Paulo (2013, 2008, 2006), Centro Universitário Maria Antonia (2009), Paço das Artes (2009, 2006). Participated, among others, the following group shows: Huit Mois (Point Éphémère – Paris, 2015), No Sound (Galeria Milan, 2015), Red Bull Station (2015), Comic Sans (Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Quito, 2012), Loja 99 (Galeria Homero Massena, 2011), =748.600 (Paço das Artes, 2011), PINO (Galeria Baró Cruz, 2011), Exposição de Verão (Galeria Box 4, 2010), Máquina (MARP, 2009), Abre Alas (Galeria A Gentil Carioca, 2009), X Salão Nacional Victor Meirelles (MASC, 2008), 3+2 (Centro Cultural BNB, 2008), 14o Salão da Bahia (MAM-BA, 2007).
Inspired in the precarity of the non-industrial context in which they live in, Kadija de Paula and Chico Togni attempt to downgrade, or take a step back in each operation related to their quotidian living so as to find different possible ways to keep on going.
Kadija combines text, performance and food to explore self-organization and informal economical processes. Chico builds structures and objects with found material creating "events" and social experiences. Together they create situations and happenings that question the value of resources and social practices.
In this residency Kadija and Chico take up the challenge to live and work with found resources, food and materials, avoiding the use of resources that should not have been created or that will soon be depleted. During this month they will research habits and processes of disposal, recycling and social assistance in Vienna.
In January 2017, Kadija de Paula and Chico Togni participated of Q21 / MuseumsQuartier AIR program where they spent 30 days living and working with found food, resources and materials. During this residency they found over 600€ on food, received over 50 visitors, and served approximately 200 meals on 4 happenings that took place every saturday in their studio and MQ’s adjacencies. They threw less than 20 kg of garbage away and spent approximately 500€ (mostly on beer) during the whole month. They built more than 10 objects, including service structures and graphic material related to the studio events; an oven and the “ultimate π”, a pie made with the last leftovers to be defrosted and baked in June, in a scene created for the exhibition "Welt kompakt", curated by Ursula Maria Probst at frei_raum Q21 exhibition space. The pie was mistakenly thrown away as garbage once the artists left the studio.