For three days, the School of Arts hosted the filming of Uranus, the new video work by Portuguese visual artist Vasco Araújo, co-produced by the artist and the School of Arts.
The artistic and technical team brought together Vasco Araújo (director), João Pedro Plácido (director of photography), Rezm Orah (performer), and Miguel Faro (post-production and visual effects). The production also featured Ricardo Ferreira, professor at the School of Arts, alongside alumni and current students, namely Carolina Vaz Rebelo and Bruna Bandeira, graduates of the BA in Sound and Image, and Nádia Duarte, a second-year BA in Cinema student, reinforcing the collaborative nature of the project. The video will be included in Vasco Araújo's solo exhibition at Serralves, scheduled to open in January 2027.
Uranus explores themes of transformation and emancipation through the cosmic and hybrid figure of Uranus. The video reflects on the freedom to be, think, and feel beyond labels and social norms, emphasizing the relationship between the individual and the community. Transformation, diversity, and plurality emerge as essential conditions for imagining a possible human future, articulated through the ideas of conscious awakening and empathy. Rather than offering definitive answers, the work invites audiences to question conventions, listen to themselves, and recognize the possibility of both social and bodily renewal.
The participation of students and alumni in this co-production reinforces the School of Arts' commitment to providing professional practice opportunities. Working directly with artists and production teams allows students to engage in real artistic production processes while developing the technical and creative skills that are fundamental to their future professional practice.
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About the Director
Born in Lisbon in 1975, Vasco Araújo is one of Portugal's most acclaimed contemporary artists. He holds a degree in Sculpture from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon and completed additional training at Maumaus. His multidisciplinary practice spans video, sculpture, installation, and performance, addressing themes of identity, gender, memory, power, and the legacy of colonialism. Throughout his career, he has exhibited extensively in Portugal and internationally at institutions including MAAT, the Serralves Museum, the Centre Pompidou, Jeu de Paume, Palais de Tokyo, MALBA, and The Power Plant, among many others. In 2003, he was awarded the EDP New Artists Prize, and his work is included in major public and private collections worldwide.
