Mourão

Raul Mourão attended the Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage (EAV-Parque Lage) in Rio de Janeiro in the mid-1980s and pursued studies in Architecture at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). He began participating in exhibitions since 1991. In 1989, he conducted the initial photographic documentation of protective, safety, and isolation grids found throughout the streets of Rio de Janeiro. This documentation gave birth to his renowned ‘Grades’ [Grids] series, which subsequently evolved into sculptures, videos, and installations from the year 2000 onwards. Starting in 2010, as a result of his explorations into grids and security systems, along with various modular geometric structures typical of urban settings, Mourão commenced the development of sculptures and kinetic installations with interactive features, engaging the public. In this body of work, among other elements, the artist establishes a connection between the issues of urban violence implicit in his earlier pieces and a formalist concern for structural equilibrium.