Work s
Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca
Ed. Nuno Crespo
Universidade Católica Portuguesa / Escola das Artes / UCP Press

The School of Arts presents, in São Paulo, the latest volume of the  Artistic Research Collection: Trabalho s / Work s is the first publication dedicated to the methodology of Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca and brings together over a decade of the duo’s work, highlighting the consistency of their body of work in the field of contemporary artistic research. The publication will be launched on 7 April at Livraria Megafauna – Copan, and on 9 April at the Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel gallery – Barra Funda.

The volume centres on an extensive interview between the editor Nuno Crespo and the artists, which runs through the different sections of the book. It also brings together essays by the curator Clarissa Diniz on the duo’s collaborative dynamics; by the critic Juliano Gomes, who situates the work within the expanded field of cinema; and by the curator Daniel Blanga Gubbay, dedicated to the sound dimension of the films. The graphic design, conceived as a bilingual edition, is by Estúdio Margem.

In dialogue with artists and collectives, Wagner & de Burca’s practice spans cinema, the visual arts, performance and music, combining documentary strategies with processes of staging. Drawing on dynamics of listening and shared experience, elements such as direction, script, costume design and soundtrack are conceived in collaboration with the participants of each project.

This edition reflects the School of Arts’ commitment to strengthening international networks of research and creation, fostering ongoing dialogue between diverse artistic contexts. This volume reflects a sustained effort at transnational collaboration, bringing together authors, artists and institutions around shared practices and discourses. It thus affirms the international dimension of the Artistic Research Collection as a platform for circulation and encounter in the field of contemporary artistic research.

This volume forms part of the Artistic Research Collection, a publishing initiative of CITAR / School of Arts / Portuguese Catholic University, in partnership with UCP Press and Sistema Solar/Documenta. This collection, coordinated by Nuno Crespo, publishes books on contemporary artists and filmmakers and their artistic processes. Most of the books published in this collection stem from residencies or art exhibitions that took place within the context of the artistic research conducted by CITAR and the School of Arts. These publications, always in a bilingual Portuguese/English format, also serve as a means of giving concrete form, from a critical and process-oriented perspective, to the scientific research practice associated with the exhibition programme.

Book launch: 

• 7 April 2026 · 19:00 · Bookshop Megafauna - Copan, São Paulo, Brazil + info
  • A conversation between the artists and the curator and editor of the book, Nuno Crespo.
• 9 April 2026 · 14:00 · Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel - Barra Funda, São Paulo, Brazil + info
  • Autograph session with the artists during the SP-Arte celebration brunch