As a Brazilian artist working in France, João Vieira Torres is keenly aware of the borders imposed upon him by his identity. More importantly, however, he understands that borders only exist to be transgressed.
In short, his works are intellectual, yet sensual; provocative, yet tender. In The Annunciation, Torres imagines the Virgin Mary as a boy (Vieira Torres himself), as s/he is visited by the angel Gabriel announcing her/his conception of the baby Jesus. Le Bain offers a striking image of a catatonic Christ-like boy being washed. In The Library At Night, words themselves take on human (or ghostly) form, as a sleepless librarian encounters the different ghosts wandering through the bookshelves. Here, There, and Lisboa takes the form of a monologue spoken in half-Portuguese, half-French. A wholly sensory experience, we hear sentences that are brutally split in half by the two languages while images of separate body parts come together through touch.
Lastly, the night will be topped off by a performance piece, Cannibal Love, in which Vieira Torres will recite a love poem to a succession of anonymous men seeking sex through ChatRoulette.
Work Specifics:
– The Annunciation, João Vieira Torres, France, 2010, Digital video, 4 minutes
– Le Bain, João Vieira Torres, France, 2010, Digital video, 4 minutes
– The Library At Night, João Vieira Torres, France, 2012, 16mm, 17 minutes
– Here, There, and Lisboa, João Vieira Torres, France, 2012, Thermographic camera, 18 minutes
– Cannibal Love (performance), João Vieira Torres, France, 2014, Computer with internet and speakers, approx. 20 minutes
Press quotes:
“[Here, There, and Lisboa] is akin to Malick’s work in its intent, Lynch’s in its cinematography, and Weerasethakul’s in its atmosphere; it is a stirring and imaginative piece of work.”- The Glass Magazine
“[A] new iconoclast voice that I’m sure will revolutionize Brazilian cinema.”- João Pedro Rodrigues, filmmaker (To Die Like a Man)
João Vieira Torres’ film in collaboration with Tanawi Xucuru Kariri, “Toré” will be screened at Lincoln Center’s Art of the Real April 17th as part of Shorts Program 1.
Bio
Born in Recife Brazil in 1981, João Vieira Torres lives and works in between Brazil and France. He has presented work at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, Rencontres Internationales Paris and Berlin, FIDMarseille, Rencontres Internationales Documentaire Montréal, Olhar de Cinema, Anthology Film Archives, Centre Pompidou, Palais de Tokyo, Villa Arson, MIS São Paulo, LABoral (Spain), CPH:Dox, IndieLisboa, Tampere Short Film Fest, Vilnius CAC, Alexandrina Arts Center, St Petersburg Musuem of Photo and the Pingyao Photo Festival.
