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Monica De Miranda

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Bitting nations, video performance 2007

I think it could be argued that an expanded space – physical and conceptual – for art has developed alongside, parallel to, an expansion of cultural complexity and diversity in the life of the average citizen of London. This process probably began in the 1950s when the term ‘globalisation’ was unknown and migrations of the world’s peoples had not reached the scale they have today. The London avant-garde art scene, beginning in the 50s, has represented almost laboratory conditions for the clashing and fusing of cultures, even if the established institutions for a long time were not aware of it. There was an extraordinary type of reciprocity about these clashings and meetings, and a kind of equality, because each individual, according to their origins, had different mental sets in which there were elements of freedom and elements of restriction. Certain demands for liberation within British society – from traditional authority, patriarchy, snobberies and class – drew young people to London from relatively more hidebound social structures. They often brought with them other forms of liberated thinking or acting in comparison with which Britain was still ‘uptight’. These opposites mingled in the process of working out a humane set of values.

Similarly, the notion of a space for art expanded beyond the narrow terms of an object displayed in an art gallery to the discovery of new contexts, new materials, new collaborative, participatory and performative structures. Mónica de Miranda herself epitomises both the complexity of cultural traces which make up identity and a diverse and flexible art practice. Certain of her works are tuned to the pristine art gallery, where contemplative time is needed, and others take the form of videos, graffiti painting in the street, performances, collaborative projects with other artists and with children and so on. Many of her works have a visual structure of overlays and fusions, such as her Road Lines (digital photographs, 2005) where map fragments of different cities merge together in the palms of people’s hands and the map lines of roads evoke the creases and veins in the human skin.

However, with all this talk of movement, crossings and hybrids there is something that is changeless and constant in identity: the individual’s memories of childhood. George Eliot asks in one of her novels: “Would we love this world so much if we had not spent our childhood in it?” Her question assumes the intensity of childhood impressions. It seems there is some sensory bond to place, atmosphere, colour, touch, taste, sound and smell that survives even an unhappy childhood. Perhaps the persistence of childhood memory corresponds to the stillness, focus and brilliancy one can find in a work of visual art.

Guy Brett

Monica De Miranda

1976 born in Amarante, Portugal

Lives and works in London, United Kingdom

Education

2004/05 MA Art in Education, Institute of Education, Dissertation in participatory, collaborative and border culture art, London, UK
2000/01 Postgraduate in creative arts, CSSA , London, UK
1995-1998 BA(Hons)-Visual art, Camberwell College of Art, London, UK

Grants

2007 The guru, tourist and Globalization, Fundacao Oriente, Tamil Nadu, India (residency, Book)
2006 Just do it , Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, UK

Solo Exhibitions

2007 New Geographies , 198 Gallery, London, UK
2004 In Between Lines, Artery Space, London, UK

Group Exhibitions

2007 Paradise, Art toll – Residency/ exhibition, Museum of Modern Art Hertogenbosh
–Netherlands
Do u hear me, State of the world- Exhibition /sound installation-Gulbenkian,Lisbon
United Nations, Singapore Fringe Festival , Singapore
Identity and History, Living Gallery, Italy
Un-furnished, File , Rio de Janeiro-Brazil
2006 Lore and Other Convergences, (in collaboration with Janini Antonini) INIVA and Live development Agency, London, UK
De-colonized Bodies (Video portraits) The art Pavilion, in collaboration with Guilhermo Gomez Penã and la Pocha Nostra, London, UK
Black sheep “Do not pull my hair” Conjunction , London , Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Welcome goodbye Adeus Obrigada, (Journeys, dislocations and imaginary nations) The blue elephant Gallery, ( supported by Gulbenkian foundation) London , UK
Territories October Gallery, London, UK ( video art )
Changing Skins - Rencontres Internationales, Rotaratorio, Paris and Berlin
In the back of our Hands Centro Pablo de Cuba, Havana, Cuba
Road lines Contemporary digital art museum, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Un-furnished Node.London, London, UK
European’s Workers Union Liverpool Biennale and London Biennale, Liverpool and London, UK
2005 Self-portrait at exploding galaxies , ICA-Retrospective of David Medalla, curated by Guy Brett, London, UK
Insomnia - Dis-Covers and Changing Skins, Bargehouse (in collaboration with the live art development Agency and Red cross ), South Bank, London, UK
In the bag- Inside out, Brixton Art Gallery , London, UK
W e are the revolution, Elastic Gallery , Whitechapell, London
2004 In between the Lines: In Search of identity-New visions Doncaster Museum, group exhibition with British contemporary immigrant artists; participating artists included: Mona Hatoum, Paula Rego , Shirazeh Houshiary and Balraj Khanna. Supported by the Arts Council , Doncaster, UK
Crossing The Borders, The Point , Doncaster, UK
2003 Percursos, Sentidos Grátis, Convento de S.Franscisco, Coimbra, Portugal
Changing Channels , The Backfabrik, Berlin, Germany
2002 London Biennale, Gallery 294, London, UK
Under your feet Area10,London, UK
Labyrinth, Horniman’s Museum, London, UK
Memories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
Corpo Percussivo, Circulando Oporto, Portugal
The Blue Serpent . Goodness, Lila- Art Center of Thyruvanamalai, Tamil Nadu, India

Monica De Miranda

6 lindway west norwood se27 0ql

00447949088919