Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin De Burca

Place: Brasília

Born: 1980

Biography:

Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca

are a visual art duo hailing from Brazil, known for their innovative and thought-provoking works in filmmaking, video installation, and photography. Born in 1980 in Brasília, Brazil, Bárbara Wagner graduated from the Dutch Art Institute in Arnhem, the Netherlands in 2012. Her collaborative works with Benjamin de Burca often involve non-actors for scripted dance performances and screenwriting.

Artistic Style and Themes

The duo's image-making process combines fictional and documental moving image characteristics with elements of popular culture, such as video clip aesthetics and ethnographic investigations on race, social class, gender, and language. Their films frequently feature regional and culturally specific dance movements and contemporary music genres across geographies in Brazil and beyond. For instance, their film Faz que vai (Set to go) depicts frevo dancers challenging gender roles and cultural expectations.

Notable Works and Exhibitions

Some of their notable works include Estás vendo coisas (You Are Seeing Things), which highlights the techno Brega musical genre and cultural scene, and Terremoto Santo (Holy Tremor), which comments on economic community empowerment through labor and belief systems. Their video installation Swinguerra was commissioned for the Brazilian Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019.

• Their films are featured in collections in Brazil, the United States, and Europe.
• Solo presentations of their work have been held at international art events and exhibitions, including a mid-career retrospective Five Times Brazil at the New Museum, New York, United States.
• Participation in numerous film and photography festivals, such as the CONTACT Photography Festival and the Biennial VideoBrasil.

Awards and Recognition

have gained recognition for their unique style and technique. Their work can be found on Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca, where they have a collection of paintings and photographs. For more information about the duo, visit their page on Bárbara Wagner. Their filmography includes Rise, which showcases writers, poets, and musicians from the collective R.I.S.E. (Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere) performing and congregating in the underground cultural scene of Toronto. The non-actors in Rise are first and second-generation youth immigrants from the Caribbean diaspora. Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca continue to push boundaries in the visual art world, exploring new themes and styles that challenge and inspire audiences worldwide. Their work can be seen on Benjamin de Burca, where they have a collection of paintings and photographs.