Residência Cruzada is a partnership between Saco Azul, Maus Hábitos, in Porto, and Artistes en Résidence, in Clermont Ferrand. In 2021 comes its 6th edition. As main purposes, it seeks to streamline cultural exchange, offer a space for artistic experiments, promote different expressions and practices, in addition to showing the results from this immersive process. Residência Cruzada is part of the Caravana project, dedicated to artistic creations.

The artists chosen this year are Amélie Sounalet, from Clermont, and João Pedro Trindade, from Porto. During the month of June, João was in the French city to develop his work in dialogue with the place. Amélie is now in residence during this month of July, exploring the city of Porto. On August 6th, the work of both will occupy the exhibition room and also the workshop showcase, our latest art gallery.

Amélie Sounalet analyzes in her work our complex relationships and interactions with objects. Tools are usually designed to extend our hand or to increase our strength, and thus make our daily tasks easier. Architectural layouts are designed to guide bodies and optimize flows. We are connected and always available thanks to our phones. Everything around us acts, in a more or less conscious way, on our body, our posture, our interactions with others. However, these technological extensions of our bodies, in the words of Marshall McLuhan, inevitably lead to amputations in other places: where we become more efficient, we run the risk of losing our freedom to think and act. Amélie Sounalet takes a close look at these elements of our daily life which can be as much our accomplices as vectors of deep alienation. By humorously twisting their original use, she reveals the absurdities of a capitalist and consumerist model of society, focused on self-performativity and illusory appearances.

João Pedro Trindade lives and works in Porto. He holds a Fine Arts degree by the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto.

He has collaborated in cultural development and dissemination projects such as Painel (2012/2014), Nartece (2015/2017) and is currently a member of the artist-run space Sismógrafo, Porto.

As an author, in the investigation and production of his work, he has made use of several mediums such as painting, sculpture and installation.

Among the individual shows, the following stand out:

2019 |e...e...e… o que cresce entre, e no meio das outras coisas - L + S Projects, Porto

2018 | à fina força - curated by Oscar Faria - Sismógrafo, Porto.

2015 | Tirado do sério - curated by Luísa Soares - Anozero: Biennial of Contemporary Art of Coimbra, Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha, Coimbra (PT).

Group shows: 

2019 | Anuário 19 - Galeria Municipal do Porto e a Fundação da Juventude, Porto (PT).

2019 | Sonic Youth - curated by Filipa Oliveira - Galeria Municipal de Almada, Almada (PT).

2016 | PICTURES and CREAM - curated by Paulo Mendes - Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art, Lisboa (PT).