Hi, my name is Diogo Bento (b. Portugal, 1984); I live and work in beautiful São Vicente, Cabo Verde.
As a photographer-artist, my projects are always driven by a particular or subjective social and political concern.
In pursuing my artistic work, I am often drawn to “the troubled land” – which I consider to be sites that are “contested”, and are so either by appropriation, domestication or transformation of the landscape – this is where I engage with themes of ecology, nature, architecture, urbanism and science to arrive at discussions involving decoloniality and social justice.
During field and studio work, and through research, I seek to grasp some of the historical and cultural entanglements of a given territory, while maintaining a continuous questioning of reality and the present time. This allows me to develop a visual vocabulary that sets the tone for the narrative.
In my projects, some of which are collaborations, I have mainly experimented with photography and installation.
I have been involved in several artistic and educational projects since 2013 as a photographer, trainer, curator and founding member of AOJE, an organisation dedicated to photography.
Education
2011
Photography and Contemporary Art – IPA/Atelier de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
2008
Landscape Architecture – ISA/UTL, Lisbon, Portugal
2005
Photography – Ar.Co, Lisbon, Portugal
Selected Exhibitions
2022
Foundation and Emergence – Centro Nacional de Artesanato e Design, São Vicente, Cabo Verde
2022
Spectrum – Avenida da Índia gallery, Lisbon, Portugal
2019
Zeitgeist – Parallel Platform, Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center, Budapest, Hungary
2019
Currents Shift – Parallel Platform, Chateau d’Eau, Toulouse, France
2019
Adaptation and Transition – Ci.CLO Porto Photography Biennial, Porto, Portugal
2018
Parallel Showcase – Organ Vida Festival, Zagreb, Croatia
2017
16° 51’ 49 N 24° 52’ 02 W – Centro Nacional de Artesanato e Design, São Vicente, Cabo Verde
2016
BF16 – Vila Franca de Xira Photography Biennial Award, Portugal
2015
On Landscape #2 – On Landscape Project, Matèria Gallery, Rome, Italy
2013
Ocupações Temporárias, Documentos – Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
2013
Ocupações Temporárias – Mindelo, Cabo Verde
2012
Cabral ka Mori – EP 1874 gallery, São Vicente, Cabo Verde
2011
Quinze Ensaios – Plataforma Revólver, Lisbon, Portugal
2010
Na superfície – Espaço Campanhã & Tabacaria, Porto, Portugal
2005
New Ways of Approaching Landscape – Penafiel, Portugal
Curatorial
2022
(Im)Materiality – This Is Not A White Cube, Palais Castilho, Lisbon and Centro de Artes de Águeda, Águeda, Portugal
2020
Dissident Planets – AOJE / Catchupa Factory, online
2019
Sixth Nature – Ci.CLO Photography Biennial, CPF, Porto, Portugal
2016
Dog World – Ponta d’Praia gallery, São Vicente, Cabo Verde
2016
The Other Side of the Moon – Centro Cultural do Mindelo, São Vicente, Cabo Verde
2014
Stage 50 – Centro Nacional de Artesanato e Design, São Vicente, Cabo Verde
2013 – 2014
Cabo Verde International Photography Festival
2012
Silver Mirror – Centro Nacional de Artesanato e Design, São Vicente, Cabo Verde
Artist Residencies
2021
UpCyles – Associação dos Amigos do Museu do Cinema, Maputo, Mozambique
2019
Luuanda – Colectivo Pés Descalços, Luanda, Angola
2018
Adaptation and Transition – Ci.CLO Photography Biennial, Parque de Noudar, Portugal
2017
Walkscapes, Residency in Transit – Hangar, Ethiopia
2005
New Ways of Approaching Landscape – artLAB*projectos, Penafiel, Portugal
Grants/Awards
2020
MACAAL Bootcamp – selected curator
2018 – 2019
Parallel Platform 2nd Cycle – selected artist
2018 – 2019
Ci.CLO Porto Photography Biennial – invited artist and curator
2017
Mack First Book Award – nominated
2016
BF16, Vila Franca de Xira Photography Biennial Award – finalist
2015
Dummy Award Kassel – finalist
2014
Unseen Dummy Award – finalist
Print
2020
Fisheye Photo Review 2020.21 – Fisheye Magazine
2019
Atlas – Parallel Platform
2019
Currents Shift exhibition catalogue – Parallel Platform
2016
Multiple Gazes of a Country’s Photographed Past – African Photography Initiatives
2015
Next Future journal #18 – Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
2013
Next Future journal #12 – Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
2013
Revista 2 – Público
2010
Scopio Magazine #1 – Cityscópio
Collections
Fundação Amílcar Cabral – Praia, Cabo Verde