O melhor mundo possível

[The best posible world]

Gustavo Sumpta is an atypical visual artist within the Portuguese landscape. His trajectory with regular appearances in collective and individual exhibitions is also crossed by his collaborations on theatre, film and contemporary dance. In his works he transforms very poor materials through rudimentary means – basically work and persistence -, into visual acts, ephemeral sculptures and aesthetic resolutions.

We can neither state that his work is either sculpture or performance art, one emerges out and into the other. What we can say, for the sake of certain conceptual comfort, is that they are performative sculptures, or if we prefer it, scupltoric actions (...). If sculptures come out from a specific spatial occupation, out of what remains after the gesture and the action of the body; performances emerge from the attention paid to the relationship of the body with space, objects, things. The movements performed in front of us are the result of the discovery of the material, spatial and temporal qualities that matter carries, hides and contains. In other words, the sculpture is the prolongation of the body, of its presentation and condensation, the testimony of its existence.
Nuno Crespo

His works on performance began in 2003 and have developed throughout his participation in several editions of the LAB project as well as in the frame work of the Case Study project, both organized and produced by Atelier RE.AL. In December 2007 RE.AL organized at Atelier RE.AL a cycle of 7 performances of Gustavo Sumpta. This opened a new professional relationship with this artist, taking, thus, RE.AL the roll of agent/producer of his performances. This will be the Spanish premiere of the three works Gustavo will present in this Carte Blanche.

Performed by Gustavo Sumpta

Duration: 35 min
2004. 35 min. 12 rolls of toilet paper, thread, wire.
This project was developed during an artistic residence at the ZDB Gallery.
First presentation: ZDB Gallery, Lisboa, Propostas para quem dança, January 6th, 2004

Picture Paulo Mendes