Meet the artist

Diogo Costa, born in Lisbon in 1988, is a distinguished visual artist and art instructor with a degree in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon (FBAUL). He teaches drawing and sculpture at the Nextart art training center in Lisbon.

Diogo's work is a blend of personal narrative and historical reflection, often highlighting the intersections between human experience and broader socio-cultural themes. His installation "Eco-Painting," created during an artistic residency at Casa-Animal, explores the life and legacy of Francisco, the last worker at a historic gunpowder factory.

In his solo exhibition "Preâmbulo," Diogo takes us on a journey of self-discovery through a series of vivid and evocative pieces. His use of visual language and introspective narrative invites viewers to contemplate the relationship between the self and the environment, turning ordinary objects into profound symbols of human experience.

Diogo Costa's contributions to the art world extend beyond his individual exhibitions. He participates in group shows, artist residencies, and collaborative projects, showcasing his versatility and deep engagement with contemporary artistic discourse. His notable exhibitions include "Nocturne" at Galeria Augustine and "ONEIROIKOS" at Brotéria, both in Lisbon, where he continues to challenge and expand the boundaries of visual art.

Eco-Painting

Eco-Painting is an installation carried out as part of the artistic residency at Casa-Animal, organized by Musa Paradisíaca in partnership with MART and tFábrica da Pólvora-extension of the Seixal Municipal Eco-Museum.

The installation contemplates the projection of image on a wall of the building of the carbonizers, where wood was charred to build part of the material for the manufacture of gunpowder. The artistic project reflects the identity of “Francisco”, as an intangible heritage of this place.

Francisco is the last worker at the factory, who was born and raised in this context and who currently fits as a collaborator and engineer of the boiler that puts the steam engine into operation in this place.

After an explosion in 2002, of which Francisco was severely affected, his skin had turned red as a result of the burns that this incident caused. The relationship of the red color that paints the exterior walls of the workshops of this factory illustrate how skin is marked by the memory of this event and was the motto for plastic exploration in the context of the artistic residency.

Burned skin, skin of factory

Skin as a marker of history

Skin as a holder of history

Internal stories

Guts of the factory

Unpleasant memories within

Exposing through red

Red as a kind of blood

Blood induces remedy

Calls for action to heal

Exposes internal traumas

Traumas from systems and how it impacts the individual.

Preâmbulo, 2022

As I was left stranded, I decided to continue on my way through the foliage, in search of a shortcut or a way of gaining ground. Between roots that crossed from one side of the terraces to the other, and branches that intertwined themselves creating porous walls, I walked until time had stretched out the orange into the sky. Without knowing exactly when or at what point in the journey, I suddenly stumbled accidentally in to myself.

I realized I was listening to someone speaking, someone saying something in an unknown language that was not being heard with the greatest clarity, not speaking in audible words, but rather in a visual language that invited me to give up the will to understand; so I let myself listen in order to compose this room sheet.

I did it on a walk. A text neatly arranged, delimited by the space it would occupy, limited by a white digital rectangle. I did it in a wander identical to walking without north, reclining over the text from time to time, for days and weeks. I wanted to inhabit the sentences slowly, as they would appear, in the same way I inhabit the objects.

I wanted to captivate, or make captive, the presence.

Can you feel the weight your feet exert on the ground?

There is in an egg, the banality of being on the shelf of a refrigerator but also the potential space of what is to come.

There is in a curtain, which covers neither doors nor windows, the curiosity of what can only be partially seen.

There is a small container, the dark side that holds what cannot be seen.

There is a piece of antique furniture, the spiral that indicates an upward movement.

There is a dry pastel drawing, the time of the layers that reflect the delay.

There is a soap sculpture, a cliff modelled by gouge and water.

There is in a reflection, the quality of the liquid that duplicates the image downwards.

There is, in the gestures that precede things, a candle that trembles.

There is a landscape within a landscape, within a landscape, within a landscape.

Conclusion 

We hope you enjoyed our deep dive into the world of Diogo Costa and his transformative art. Diogo’s ability to intertwine personal and historical narratives offers a unique perspective that challenges us to see beyond the surface.

To learn more about Diogo and his work, visit his official website and follow him on social media. Don't forget to check out his latest projects and upcoming exhibitions. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our podcast. Join us next time as we continue to explore the vibrant landscape of contemporary art and the inspiring stories of the artists who shape it.

Thank you for listening. Until next time.

References: 

https://www.diogo-costa.net/

https://www.instagram.com/dio__costa/

All images and work text courtesy of Diogo Costa