M HKA Ensembles

° 1981

Lives in Lisbon (Portugal), born in Angola.

There is a curious provocation in Nástio Mosquito artworks in how he directly confronts the viewer. His performances and videos place the artist himself centre stage, adopting different personae, and taking attitudes from his other experiences of working as an actor, presenter, singer and media impresario. His work is often described as confronting stereotypes of Africa and its people, which, while not untrue, is only part of the complex encounter we experience with his work. Mosquito plays with charisma and exoticism, with being funny and scary, and with being entertaining and awkward. We are always left never quite knowing if we are meeting the real Nástio Mosquito, and yet the works offer a glimpse of a future where we may have a certain freedom to be what we feel, beyond political correctness and the desire to be consumers of cultural difference. (NH)