BIOGRAPHY
João Viana concluded University of Arts in Porto, Portugal, called today FBAUP in 1980, entered in group shows and, after several working jobs such as teacher and graphic work, he only made his first one man show in 1996 in Porto (Portugal) followed by Madrid (Spain) in the same year. He kept exhibiting from then on (circa sixteen solo shows and thirty three group shows) while kept teaching until 2018.
CV
Main Solo Shows:
2024 – “Produto Interno Bruto”, Galeria Serpente, Porto
2022 – “Ocorrências sem Gravidade”, Solar das Bouças, Amares
2021 – “Equívocos de Interpretação”, Casa da Cultura de Paredes
2021 – “Explosões de Gozo”, Antiga Capitania de Aveiro
2019 – “Fora da Lei”, Palácio da Justiça, Porto
2013 – Galeria Trindade, Porto
2009 – Galeria Trindade, Porto
2009 – Auditório de Espinho, Espinho
2007 – Galeria Trindade, Porto
2005 – Galeria Trindade, Porto
2003 – Galeria Trindade, Porto
2001 – Galeria Trindade, Porto
1998 – Galeria Trindade, Porto
1997 – Galeria Trindade, Porto
1996 – Galeria Almirante, Madrid
1996 – Galeria Trindade, Porto
Main Group Shows:
2024 – “Session 6” Galeria Azur, Berlin, Deutschland
2022 – “Arte na Leira”, 24ª edição, Arga de Baixo
2020 – “Reencontro em Liberdade”, Palácio da Justiça, Porto
2018 – “Baz’Arte”, Fórum da Maia, Maia
2017 – “Pequeno Formato”, Galeria Trindade, Porto
2010 – “Obra em Papel”, Galeria Trindade, Porto
2009 – “Arte Lisboa” Stand Galeria Trindade, FIL, Lisboa
2008 – “Arte Lisboa” Stand Galeria Trindade, FIL, Lisboa
2008 – “Colectiva de Verão”, Galeria Trindade, Porto
2007 – “Arte Lisboa” Stand Galeria Trindade, FIL, Lisboa
2007 – “Colectiva de Verão”, Galeria Trindade, Porto
2006 – “Arte Lisboa” Stand Galeria Trindade, FIL, Lisboa
2006 – “Casaporto”, Porto
2005 – “Arte Lisboa” Stand Galeria Trindade, FIL, Lisboa
2005 – “Prémio Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso” 5º edição, Amarante
2005 – “Exposição Comemorativa dos 50 anos da Escola João Gonçalves Zarco, Matosinhos.
2004 – “Arte Lisboa” Stand Galeria Trindade, FIL, Lisboa
2002 – “Arte Lisboa” Stand Galeria Trindade, FIL, Lisboa
2002 – “Colectiva de Verão” Fundação das Comunicações, Lisboa
2001 – “Oito olhares sobre a pintura” Galeria Municipal de Aveiro
2000 – “Feira de Arte Contemporânea” FIL Lisboa
2000 – “Colours and People” Galeria Trindade, Porto
2000 – “Colours and People” Fundação das Comunicações, Lisboa
2000 – “Arte Lisboa” Stand Galeria Trindade, FIL, Lisboa
2000 – “Dez Anos é muito Tempo” Galeria Trindade, Porto
1999 – “VI Mostra Unión Fenosa” Corunha
1999 – “Bienal de Arte de Vila Nova de Cerveira”
1999 – “Feira de Arte Contemporânea” FIL Lisboa
1998 – “Colectiva” Sala de Exposições Lisboa
1997 – “Feira de Arte Contemporânea” FIL Lisboa
1997 – “Colectiva de Natal” Galeria Trindade, Porto
1980 – “Encontros de Arte” ESBAP, Porto
1979 – “Encontros de Arte” ESBAP, Porto
1978 – “Encontros de Arte” ESBAP, Porto
STATEMENT
“I consider that painting only is worthwhile if it stands out, by any means, as exceptional; so I work on strategies that lead me to ignore that, nowadays, in the art world, on the contrary, painting is condemned to failure and reduced to a commercial decorative piece.
Thus I work with systems without any visual reference (except what I’ve done before) starting from zero with an empty canvas — no images, no photos, just following my modular drawings and structures. Then every morning I change the work I had before going to sleep as if I am “correcting” the error of something that’s not mine, just keeping and complying with the laws of the system but impulsively and intuitively superimposing successive alternative layers until the end of the day. There are days when the work looks destroyed and so remains for several sessions, so that this cycle may take years; but the day the work stays on the wall without suffering my impulses, it is finished and showable.
So, even if there’s here an opposition to neo-expressionist aesthetics, there’s still a concept of art dealing with destructive impulses that censor creative ones and vice-versa. And if such an exigent regime might look to lead to any kind of transcendence, on the contrary, there is none but just a way of being in the world”.
