Comércio IlícitoI, II, III | António Caramelo

Cycle "Poetic or Political?", curatorship by João Baeta

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"The production of this series of images for this exhibition had an unpredictable point of coincidence, the fact that the invitation came at the time when it made yet another attempt to (re)read the book A Moeda Viva (Pierre Klossowski, 1970), in which, starting the argument from the repressive hypothesis that industrial capitalism was accused of having a damping effect on emotional life, the erotic theory of economics (concept of 'use value' through eroticism) is enunciated, a essential theory for understanding the relationships between capitalism, affections and desire.

The interest in this particular text stems from the context of the urgent need to rethink and reevaluate economic relations in the artistic system, reformulating the concept of 'use value' through eroticism, and exploring the relationship between the body and reality shaped by economic systems. In an act of pure exercise of abstract and gestalt reductionism (or pure pubephilia), the 3 images created for the exhibition emerged from the collection, in the private and public space, of pubic hair - the vulgar “pentelhos” or “ thoughts ”as in A Comédia de Deus, João César Monteiro.."

António Caramelo

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António Caramelo

ANGOLA, 1969

Lives and works in Oeiras. Visual artist, he has held, since 1999, several individual and collective exhibitions both in Portugal and abroad. Caramelo collaborates and develops projects related to sound art, with several concerts and presentations. Has curated several exhibitions, namely those he developed between 2004 and 2008 at Plataforma Revolver with João Fonte Santa. In 2016 at the exhibition "Que farei eu Com esta Espada?" ["What am I going to do with this sword?"] At Zaratan. He was responsible between 2014 and 2016 also at Zaratan, for the programming of Sessões da Buganvília, a crossover between video art and music.

Caramelo collaborated and developed several projects related to music, and audio and video for contemporary theater and dance. He's a programmer at Sunsetnoise, an event linked to sound arts and experimental music.

He graduated in Sculpture at FBAUL (1998), master's degree in Media Art, MECAD - Ramon Llull University, Barcelona (2007) and is a doctoral student at the University of Fine Arts in Lisbon. He was a professor at the University of Évora between 2001 and 2015 in the Visual Arts-Multimedia Course.