Performing artist and sculptor, Raymond Pinto, joins us this week for a residency at G.A.S. Lagos. With a focus on the African diaspora and queer and black archives, Raymond's work examines the nature of the dancing body and its impact on our aesthetic dimension. During his residency, Raymond will conduct research in preparation for his exhibition at the Lagos Biennial later in the year.
What is the current focus of your creative practice?
My creative practice focuses on performance art and sculpture, centred on the African diaspora and sourced through queer and black archives.
Photo via CPR – Center for Performance Research
What drew you to apply for this residency and how do you think it will inform your wider practice?
I was drawn to apply for this residency due to the reputation of G.A.S. and the opportunity to do field research in Lagos, which is where I will exhibit at the Lagos biennial later in the year. The residency will inform my wider practice by providing a space for research and development of this new work and an opportunity to engage with the local artistic community and culture.
Can you give us an insight into how you hope to use the opportunity?
During the residency period, I hope to use the opportunity to conduct research and development for a new work that I plan to present later in the year as part of the Lagos biennial. Specifically, I plan to visit various local sites and archives, and network with local artists and cultural figures. Finally, I hope to visit places of interest such as the Badagry Slave Port and Museum, John Randle Centre, and participate in a Lagos Island tour to meet people involved in Egungun (masquerade) festivals.
RESIDENCY ARCHIVE
EVENT: Carry My Not Knowing
Event Date: 14th March 2023
To conclude their residency, Lagos Biennial artist Raymond Pinto hosted Carry My Not Knowing, an exhibition, interactive workshop, performance, `and screening at G.A.S. Lagos. The series began with an interactive movement workshop attended by various members of Lagos' cultural and creative community. During the session, guests had the opportunity to explore the interplay between tension, movement, and space with the artist acting as a guide. It was followed by Atunbi (Rebirth), a new performance developed by the artist during his residency. The following day, visitors were invited into the space yet again for screenings of two new films; The Pour and Carry My Not Knowing. Carry My Not Knowing is the artist's first solo exhibition, Pinto described the experience and opportunity to share his practice for the first time on the continent as "monumental" and "deeply meaningful". The residency was also an opportunity for him to complete crucial site-specific research ahead of his participation in the Lagos Biennial in 2024.
Raymond Pinto leading his March 2023 workshop, Carry My Not Knowing. Photo © G.A.S. Foundation.
EVENT: Bridging Wildlife Conservation and Creative Expression
Event Date: 1st February 2024
To mark their return to G.A.S. Lagos, Raymond Pinto hosted Bridging Wildlife Conservation and Creative Expression, a panel discussion with Chidi Mogbo, the founder of the Green Fingers Foundation. The evening leveraged Pinto's practice to provoke conversations on iconography, ecology, sustainability, wildlife conservation, and preservation, providing a lens through which the audience could explore the intersectionality between the embodied emotions inherent in a wildlife-centric ecological practice and a movement-based arts practice drawing inspiration from African material culture.
Raymond Pinto in conversation with Chinedu Mogbo at Bridging Wildlife Conservation and Creative Expression.
EVENT: Traces of Ecstasy (Lagos Biennial 2024)
Event Date: 3rd - 10th February 2024
On February 4th, at the Traces of Ecstasy pavilion, artist and choreographer Raymond Pinto shared his roving performance at the Traces of Ecstasy pavilion. Joined by sound artists, Ayomide Kalejaiye (SAROSAYÉ) and Xavier Emmanuel, the performance responds to the pavilion's architecture through a score that combines bodily movement and experimental music. Pinto's piece takes the gestures of the Gelede masquerade as a starting exploratory point - a masquerade ritually performed by men in honour of female deities and ancestors. Further inspired by the masquerade's adornments, Pinto performed in garments specially designed by Adeju Thompson. Through layered arrangements of clothing, music and dance, the performance reframes indigenous spirituality and Black diasporic archives of sound and movement to illuminate decolonial registers of queer embodiment.
Raymond Pinto performing Diffractions. Photography by Olanrewaju Ali. Photo © G.A.S. Foundation.
ABOUT RAYMOND PINTO
RAYMOND PINTO is a multidisciplinary performance artist whose work is centred on the African diaspora and sourced through queer and black archives. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Pinto studied dance and graduated from the Juilliard School in 2013, and holds a master's degree with a focus in Performance Studies from New York University.He has worked with internationally touring dance companies, notable choreographers, and artists such as Les Grands Ballet Canadiens de Montreal, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Gauthier Dance, The Royal Ballet of Flanders, Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, Bill T. Jones, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Shikeith, Kevin Beasley, and Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion.
As an artist himself, Raymond has presented his own work at festivals, theaters, galleries, workshops, and conferences both locally and globally, including the Judson Memorial Church, MoMA PS1, the Amsterdam Fringe Festival, La Mama Experimental Theater, Participant, Inc., CUE Art Foundation, the Architecture Centrum in Vienna, the Queer Arts Festival in Skopje, Macedonia, and the Venice Biennale. He has also been an artist in residence at Movement Research in NYC and Dance Fellow Art Omi.
Raymond Pinto's second residency was supported by Lagos Biennial and G.A.S. Foundation.
