The exhibition BRUTALISM by Portuguese photographer Kiko Dionisio is on view in an experimental exhibition space on Tucholskystraße during Gallery Weekend 2021. Curated by Frances Stafford.
Kiko Dionisio, (*born as Joaquim Miguel Tavares Dionisio, August 1974 in Lisbon Portugal) is a Berlin based Artist, whose work deals predominantly with the male body. His practice dwells within the international LGBTQI community and explores the body’s relation to sexuality as well as elements of nature, such as light, water and wind
Kiko Dionisio has been taking photographs for over 8 years, with an estimate of around 600 photoshoots, most of which have been done outside of Berlin, namely New York City, Los Angeles and Miami. Much of his work features dancers and performers, influenced by his early artistic training in Musical Theatre and Performance at the Stage School of Hamburg, from which he graduated in 2002.
Dioniso’s work suspends itself between modernity and the classics, with photographs that resemble ancient Greek sculptures in their delicacy and elegance, but situate their subjects in a contemporary light, nonetheless. In this series, Dionisio is working rather minimally, merely with light, shadow and the naked body. This minimalism is evident in his intentional omission of facial expressions, which according to him, allows the viewer to enter a much richer imaginative space, liberated from traditional and pre-conceived associations.
Joyous fluid movements, abstract body parts and beauty by itself are some of the values which drew Dionisio to choose the architectural concept “Brutalism” as a title for his series. “Brutalism,” unlike the English language’s association of the word, has nothing to do with brutality. It is a composite French term for “Béton brut” or “raw concrete” in English, denoted to describe the early twentieth century houses built out of the material. Just like the raw architectural structures of “Brutalism”, Dioniso’s bodies mediate the same sense of purity, candor and undiluted presence.
In “Brutalism”, all the currents that underlie Dionisio’s work unite in one stream. The classical Greek term “noumenon”, which describes a thing in itself that transcends forms or material manifestations; fluid dance movements with sculptural elegance; and a carnal connection between man and nature, all make Dionisio’s figures fluid, moving landscapes in an urban setting. They invite the viewer to engage in an immediate and intuitive sensory experience of unfiltered aesthetic appreciation that is beyond any rationalised narrative.
Opening & Exhibition
With an exclusive vernissage on 1 May 2021 at 8 pm, the exhibition, which already starts on 30 April at Tucholskystraße 15 in Mitte, will be ceremonially opened and remain open until 2 May.
Dionisio is looking forward to a possible full opening of the space, pandemic permitting. For now, however, the exhibition will be accessible between noon and 10:00 pm on the dates mentioned. Dates for visiting the exhibition at frances.stafford.bh@gmail.com.
BRUTALISM by Kiko Dionisio
WHERE? Tucholskystraße 15, 10117 Berlin-Mitte
WHEN? Friday, 30 April – Sunday, 2 May 2021, noon – 10:00 pm
Vernissage: Saturday, 1st May 2021, 8:00 pm
