Francisco Vidal

Biography

Known for his large-scale paintings, drawings and installations, Vidal's aesthetic draws on influences from Cubism, African textiles, 80s hip-hop culture and contemporary graffiti and street art.

Although born in Portugal, the artist sees himself as strongly connected to the African diaspora. As such, he explores themes of post-colonial personality, transcultural identities and references to agricultural work and its tools, in particular the machete, a symbol of the struggles of the African liberation movement.

Vidal constantly questions political dissidence and the spirit of social revolution. Travelling through different media, the artist mixes precise techniques with an expression of freedom.

In 2012, he founded e-studio Luanda with Rita GT, António Ole and Nelo Teixeira, a collective of artists based in Luanda with the aim of offering an art education programme and exhibitions.

Francisco Vidal was featured in 2018 at the solo show "Alter Ego, Encontro em Macau", a Sino-Lusophone cultural and artistic festival in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and at the Armory Show, New York, USA in 2016. He also participated in the group exhibition Afropolitan Festival, Bozar, Brussels, Belgium, in 2017. In 2015, he exhibited at the Angolan Pavilion for the 56th Venice Biennale.

Vidal's work can also be found in Portuguese collections such as the EDP Foundation, the PLMJ Foundation and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, as well as the Scheryn Art Collection, South Africa.

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Works