Ranging from a variety of media (photography, video, sound, live art, object-based, installation, site-specific), my works have been analysing daily life gestures, routine and familiarity as a way of researching and understanding some deeper meanings in one’s life.I have been using photography to convey states of mind and emotional feelings. Trying to capture moments of deep introspection in terms of self-conscience and density of the condition of the human being. A density made of multiple layers, including inconsistency and error.
The still image representing a slice of time became useful in my works as a way of visually representing a suspension of reality. As it happens when time seems to stop when we experience a strong emotion, or we let ourselves be driven by a train of thought. Two narratives take place simultaneously – one at our conscience level and another as real life.
The span of time is experienced at different velocities, in our complex lives. It could be said that the works acknowledge the reality of a mind space as an interesting point for the perception of this floating reality of ours.
Rita Castro Neves finished her training at the Lisbon’s Ar.Co School of Visual Arts (Photography Dept.) in 1995 and in 1998 at the Slade School of Fine Art (Master in Fine Art, Media Dept.), Rita is currently a student at the Doctorate Programme at Coimbra University, School of the Arts (Doutoramento em Arte Contemporânea).
Rita Castro Neves has been exhibiting regularly in both institutional spaces (Museum of Contemporary Art of Serralves, Porto, Museum of Modern Art of Bahia, Brazil, Spike Island, Bristol, The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, I.C.A., London, Korjaamo Gallery, Helsinki, Image Museum, Braga, Nogueira da Silva Museum, Braga, Neo-Realism Museum, Vila Franca de Xira, Fábrica Asa, Guimarães European Capital Culture) and alternative spaces (rented flat, primary school, public toilet, record shop, the Finnish art space Oksasenkatu 11…).
Since 2015 Rita develops collaborative work with Daniel Moreira. With Laking, produced in 2015 following an invitation by the Finish art space Oksasenkatu 11, they started a long project on the representation of landscape, using drawing, photography and video – in installation, to think about artistic collaboration, different techniques and artistic cultures, territory, scale and journey. Showing at Galeria Bang Bang (Lisbon, 2016), Galeria Oitavo (Porto, 2017), Fundação José Rodrigues (Porto, 2017) Sputenik The Window (Porto, 2017), Museu da Imagem at the Encontros da Imagem Braga Photo Festival (Braga, 2017), Colégio das Artes (Coimbra, 2017), Galeria Bolsa de Arte (São Paulo, 2017), the Lisbon Museu Geológico (Lisbon, 2018) and at the Casa Museu Medeiros e Almeida (Lisbon, 2018), ), at the Romanesque catholic church Mosteiro de Bravães (Portas do Tempo project, Ponte da Barca, 2018), a group show at Paço Imperial, Rio de Janeiro, curated by António Olaio and Malu Fatorelli (Brazil 2018 – our part was supported by the Porto City programme Shuttle – Programa de Internacionalização Artística / Programa Pláka), at the Porto Planetarium Sem Imago Mundi, Antes um Desvio Aleatório, curated by Eduarda Neves, at the Museum of Wool, Magic Mountain – Beira Interior University (Covilhã, 2018), at the Café Candelabro, Porto, December 2018, a programme curated by Nuno Ramalho, at the Science and Natural Museum, Lisbon, (Lisbon, March 2019), at the Fundação Eugénio Almeida (Évora, 2019) curated by Fátima Lambert, at C.A.A.A. curated by Ricardo Bastos Areias (Guimarães, 2019) and with a temporary public work for the Porto Crystal Palace Gardens part of the Ci.CLo Bienal de Fotografia do Porto, 16th May – 2nd July 2019, curated by Virgílio Ferreira. In September 2019 na exhibiton with Guto Lacaz took place at the Portuguese Consulate of São Paulo, in October at Extéril (Porto) and in November had an instllation at the Wool Museum of Covilhã, as part of the meeting Montanha Mágica* Arte e Paisagem.
In 2022 Daniel and Rita will have an exhibition at Appleton Square, in Lisboa.
In August 2017 they were at the Brazilian Ateliê Fidalga in the context of the Paulo Reis Residency (São Paulo) presenting a solo show, and in October 2017 they travelled through Japan in a study trip with a Fundação Oriente Short Term Grant.
In May 2018 at the Inter.Meada Residency (Marín / Gaspar Collection) in Alvito, Portugal, in June at the Serra da Estrela high mountains (Magic Mountain – Beira Interior University), both residencies resulting in solo exhibitions in a small chapel (Ermida de Santa Luzia, Alvito, June 2019) and at the Covilhã Museum of Wool (November 2018). During the month of July 2018, they had a residency at the Portuguese Camões – Cultural Centre of Maputo, Mozambique, resulting in a solo exhibition, with its main installation now at the Maputo museum Museu da Universidade Eduardo Mondelane (Director: Alda Costa). Last residencies include a collaborative residency with Brazilian artists Claudia Tavares and Renata Cruz at the Brazilian Festival de Fotografia de Paranapiacaba, invited by João Kulcsár in August 2019, supported by the Consulate General of Portugal in São Paulo, and at Luzlinar residency programme at Feital, in Portugal (September 2019).
Currently is a teacher at the School of Fine Arts, University of Porto, where she created and directed a Post Graduate Course in Performance. Here Rita created in 2012, coordinating since then, the research group Symptom. Performance. Research. Experimentation.
Rita Castro Neves is a member of i2ADS the Research Institute in Art, Design and Society, School of Fine Arts, University of Porto.
From 2005 till 2008 was the Educational Coordinator of the Photography Course at the Portuguese Institute for Photography.