Biography
Based in
London, United Kingdom
Born in 1997
Barcelos, Portugal
London, United Kingdom
Born in 1997
Barcelos, Portugal
Adri São Bento is a Portuguese deaf interdisciplinary artist based in London. They work with a variety of media including moving image, performance and sculpture.
Adri completed a MA in Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art. They were also an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Representative of their MA Programme, a founder member of the RCA Disabled Students’ Network and a Just Like Us Ambassador.
Their first solo exhibition was Dual at K11 Paiol Azul gallery, in Porto (2019) and they have also participated in group exhibitions and residencies in Portugal, UK, Italy and online.
Their MA dissertation “Born Guilty - A Crip-Queer autofiction about abnormality advocating a crip-tical perSCRIPTion to the disabled environment” was marked with Distinction. It’s an autofictional script of a pre-hearing in a Portuguese courtroom that develops a critique of the political/legal, juridical/judicial and medical powers on the discriminatory processes of normalization, specifically pathologization and criminalization. They suggest capacitation to the disabled environment with Crip-tical thinking, communication and practice.
Adri’s practice falls under this structure. It comes from their experience as a crip and queer person and resorts to empathy-building strategies and interactive experiences to contribute to a more inclusive and healthier environment. It reflects on the structures shaping the contemporary world to raise awareness about the impossibility to be totally inside the norm.
Adri completed a MA in Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art. They were also an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Representative of their MA Programme, a founder member of the RCA Disabled Students’ Network and a Just Like Us Ambassador.
Their first solo exhibition was Dual at K11 Paiol Azul gallery, in Porto (2019) and they have also participated in group exhibitions and residencies in Portugal, UK, Italy and online.
Their MA dissertation “Born Guilty - A Crip-Queer autofiction about abnormality advocating a crip-tical perSCRIPTion to the disabled environment” was marked with Distinction. It’s an autofictional script of a pre-hearing in a Portuguese courtroom that develops a critique of the political/legal, juridical/judicial and medical powers on the discriminatory processes of normalization, specifically pathologization and criminalization. They suggest capacitation to the disabled environment with Crip-tical thinking, communication and practice.
Adri’s practice falls under this structure. It comes from their experience as a crip and queer person and resorts to empathy-building strategies and interactive experiences to contribute to a more inclusive and healthier environment. It reflects on the structures shaping the contemporary world to raise awareness about the impossibility to be totally inside the norm.
New Contemporaries 2023 shortlisted
Zealous Amplify 2022 - Mental Health & Wellbeing 1st Place
Zealous Amplify 2022 - Mental Health & Wellbeing 1st Place
MA in Contemporary Art Practice - Critical Practice ( Distinction)
RCA - Royal College of Art; London, England
2020-2022
BA in Fine Arts - Sculpture
FBAUP - Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto; Porto, Portugal
2015-2019
Life Model (2018-Present)
Freelancer
Royal College of Art, University of Porto, Atelier de Arte Realista do Porto, Daniel Gamelas, Islington Arts Factory, Project PC
Designer, Advertising (2019- Present)
GentilSabor, Portugal
Tutor (2019- 2021)
Freelancer
Geometry, Descriptive Geometry
Freelancer
Royal College of Art, University of Porto, Atelier de Arte Realista do Porto, Daniel Gamelas, Islington Arts Factory, Project PC
Designer, Advertising (2019- Present)
GentilSabor, Portugal
Tutor (2019- 2021)
Freelancer
Geometry, Descriptive Geometry