Manuela São Simão was born in 1980 in São Paulo – Brazil. She came to Portugal later, where she finished her degree in fine arts – painting, at the Fine Arts School of Oporto. Since then she has been complementing her education and developing several projects in different areas as installation, performance, design, between others.
Education
1999/2003
// Degree in Fine Arts - painting, Fine Arts School of Oporto University
2002
// Erasmus Program Scholarship at National Academy of Art, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Complementary Training
2008
// Participation in the performative sound workshop - “Days Off Sound” - by the performers Ana Borralho and João Galante, promoted by NEC, Oporto.
// Partaking in the seminary “AG_Prata_Feflexions on Photography”, promoted by AG and the Museum of FBAUP, Oporto.
// Partaking in the seminary “Rauschenberg Medias”, promoted by Serralves Foundation, Oporto.
// Partaking in the seminary “Collecting Contemporary Art”, promoted by Serralves Foundation, Oporto.
2007
// Specialization Course in Design and Digital Graphic Design Production at the Design School and Studio
Alquimia da Cor in Oporto ( graphic design software in Mac system, digital photography, design projects and conception).
2005
// Digital Photography Course in The Portuguese Institute of Photography in Oporto (capture and processing of digital image in software Adobe Photoshop, Mac system).
2004
// Course under the subject “Have/have not – Art and Technology as a Contemporary Paradigm”, oriented by the artist Fernando José Pereira and promoted by Serralves Foundation.
// Technical Graphic Design Course at Tecla _ Professional Training (software: Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Freehand, CorelDraw, Adobe InDesign).
// Initiating Photography Course promoted by Portuguese Youth Institute in Oporto.
// Technical Web Design and Multimedia Course, sponsored and promoted by Youth Foundation in Oporto; (graphic and web design software’s: Adobe Photoshop and ImageReady; Macromedia Freehand, Flash and Dreamweaver, between others).
2003
// Performance workshop directed by the French artist Nádia Lauro with the collaboration of the performer Franz Polstra, by the time of Nadia Lauro´s site-specific Project/Installation “As Atletas.Porto.2003” at Serralves.
// Course of Sound Animated Movie oriented by the director Abi Feijó and sound maker Tentúgal, at Casa da Animação, Oporto.
// Animated Drawings Workshop oriented by the directors Abi Feijó and Jorge Ribeiro, at Casa da Animação, Oporto.
2001/2003
// Silkscreen and Engraving – classes at Fine Arts School of Oporto (final score 17/20).
2002
// Lithography – classes at National Academy of Art_Sofia, Bulgaria.
// Illustrations for small animated educational movies for child workshops, Serralves Foundation.
Projects and Exhibitions
2008
// Took part on the conception and presentation of the performance/action “Meeting Point for Constructing” by Partícula Collective in Cultural Space of Intervention_Maus Hábitos, Oporto;
http://particulacolectivo.blogspot.com
// Project/Installation “Growing the City”, with João Pádua, site-specific installation for Faria Guimarães Metro Station in Oporto; this project was winner in a contest and therefore selected and sponsored by Company Metro do Porto S.A.; Organization of a public performative action in the last day of the exhibition.
http://growingthecity-project.blogspot.com
// Project “Growing”: installation “Plastic People” and the one hour performative action “Growing” during the opening. Sound object “HO-S01” by Hugo M., Extéril Gallery, Oporto.
2007
// Collective event “15 Minutes of Fame”, with the 15 minutes action-project “Begging Cities/Bagging Cities”, Extéril Gallery, Oporto.
http://www.exteril.com/exposicoes/2007/64_15dez_15mins_fama/0305_mss.html
// Collective FBAUP Illustration Exhibition under the title “Illustrated Garden”, curated by the illustrator and designer Júlio Dolbeth, in Servartes Cultural Centre in Oporto.
// Collective Exhibition “Paths” at Index Bookshop in Oporto.
// Collective Intervention “On The Other Hand_Sombra Clara”,at Biscaínhos Museum in Braga; creation of a scenic-installation and a performance with the performers Sílvia Ribeiro, Daniel Sampaio and Tiago Bôto (Sem Palco Company).
http://sempalco.blogspot.com/2007/05/performance-by-sempalco-manuela-so-simo.html/
// Participation in the Extéril Collection Exhibition, collective exhibition project by Teixeira Barbosa at Biscainhos Museum, Braga.
http://www.exteril.com/exposicoes/2007/60_museu_biscainhos/0087.html
// Collective Project “(De)FormatosII”, that joined painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, photography, performance and music, with the artists Teixeira Barbosa, Sofia de Carvalho e Pedro Marcolino at Espaço Imerge_CRL in Oporto; Organization and production of the experimental music concert of the duo “Território” that played inside the space of the exhibition.
http://www.exteril.com/exposicoes/2007/58_14abr_imerge/1imerge.html
2006
// Participation in the Colors Notebook Project with a proposal of a magazine illustrated under the concept: “Prejudice Works Like a Spreading Disease"; The exhibition took place in George Pompidou Centre in Paris and the aim was to promote liberty of Expression; The same exhibition moved along to Triennalle di Milano (Italy) and Shangai Art Museum.
// Collective Project “De)Formatos” in collaboration with the artists Sofia de Carvalho and Pedro Marcolino; a painting, drawing, installation and sculpture project made for Galeria 59, Lisbon.
// Collective Exhibition “Narratives”, curated by the Portuguese curator and art reviewer Ana Luísa Barão, at Galeria Sete_Contemporary Art, Coimbra.
http://verbover.blogspot.com/search?q=Narrativas+Manuela
// Individual Exhibition “Boxed Attitudes (Ideias em Acervo)” at Extéril Gallery, Oporto.
http://www.exteril.com/exposicoes/2006/53_09dez_manuela_s_simao/1mss.html/
// Collective Painting Exhibition at National Society of Fine Arts, Lisbon.
2005
// Individual Exhibition “Boundaries_Space-Box” installation and project-room at Velha-a-Branca_ Cultural Experimental Space, Braga.
// Individual Painting and Installation Exhibition “Borders and Framings” at Labirintho_Bar-Gallery, Oporto.
2004
// Individual Painting and Silkscreen Exhibition “Frontiers and Shapes”, at Remy_Hairdresser and Cultural Space, Braga.
// Collective Painting Exhibition at Corrente d’Artes Gallery, Lisbon.
2003
// Individual Project-room with black light “Detached Boundaries”, at “Por Amor à Arte_Gallery”, Oporto.
// Collective Drawing Exhibition “Projections”, Júlio Resende Foundation, Oporto.
// Collective Erasmus Exhibition at Fine Arts School of Oporto Museum.
Awards
2008
// 1st Contemporary Art Award, sponsored by Extéril Foundation.
http://www.exteril.com/fundacao_exteril/premio%202008/manuela_sao_simao.html
2004
// 2nd Painting Award in the “Young Painters Award”, sponsored by Culturgest, Lisbon.
// 2nd Painting Award in “Young Creators Award_Aveiro 04”; sponsored by the City of Aveiro.
2003
// 2nd Award in “João Barata´s Painting Award”, sponsored by Barata´s Bookshops, Lisbon.
// 3rd Illustration Award on Christmas Postcards Contest “N de Natal”, sponsored by the Portuguese Youth Institute, Oporto.
Other Activities
2008
// Co-founder of the Partícula Collective, in Oporto, with Davide De Merra (Italy), Luigi Greco (Italy), Teixeira Barbosa (Portugal), Walter Pereira (Portugal) and Jolanda Molinari (Italy) a group of Portuguese and Italian artists that create particular public (Indoor and outdoor) performatives “meeting points for constructing”.
2007
// Co-organization, production and curator ship of the collective illustration exhibition under the title “Paths”, Índex Bookshop, Oporto.
// Creator of the brand “SPOT_wearable art”, hand made pieces under the concept of “wearable art”, all pieces unique and inspired by personal work as painting, drawing and illustration.
http://fluo-spot.blogspot.com
2006
// Invited to associate Casa da Animação, a place for the animation and related events in Oporto.
2004
// Collaboration in the direction of the animated movies “O Presente” and “A Essência”, supervised by Abi Feijó, Tentúgal and Tânia Duarte, produced by Casa da Animação in Oporto.
http://www.casa-da-animacao.pt/animacoes.html
2003
// Participation in the two Performances by the French artist Nádia Lauro and the performer Franz Polstra, under the title of “Sound Stimulator”, both of them presented in the tennis court of Serralves Museum, by the time of the project/installation “As Atletas.Porto.2003.”.
Links
// http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile/Manuela+Sao%20Simao/30924.html/
// http://growingthecity-project.blogspot.com/
// http://particulacolectivo.blogspot.com/
// http://fluo-spot.blogspot.com
// http://www.exteril.com/exposicoes/2006/53_09dez_manuela_s_simao/1mss.html/
// http://www.galeriasete.com/index.php?option=com_acervo&Itemid=0&func=viewcategory&catid=136/
// http://www.exteril.com/exposicoes/2007/64_15dez_15mins_fama/0305_mss.html
// http://verbover.blogspot.com/search?q=Narrativas+Manuela
manuelasaosimao@gmail.com
