“QUESTION ANSWER”

They quickly established themselves on the international art scene thanks to their subtle questioning of the conventional modes of representation that surround us. Fascinated by what goes beyond man and his understanding of the world, they draw systems of representation and writing of time, space, memory and infinity from scientific, mathematical and literary research. Inherited from the conceptual statement, established in the use of new means of sound, graphic and plastic creation, their thought process emerges in a meticulous, stripped-down and poetic formalism.

Angela Detanico and Rafael Lain question the use of graphic signs in society. They are particularly interested in the notion and notation of time and the forms it can take, and thus create new writing systems by replacing the traditional letters of the alphabet with forms from everyday life. These forms are then staged in the exhibition space, giving this writing an unprecedented materiality. Language thus reveals its dual function, as an instrument of communication, but also as an instrument for reading and questioning different cultures. Oscillating between rudimentary and advanced technology, their pieces take on forms as diverse as text, image, animation, sound and installation. The visions they present are, for the most part, codified, fragmented or transitory.

Their work has been presented in several countries, in institutions such as CCS Bard Hessel Museum (USA), Jeu de Paume and Musée Zadkine (France), Museu de Arte da Pampulha (Brazil), Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea (Spain), ICC (Japan), Malba (Argentina), Camberwell College of Arts (England), Württembergischer Kunstverein (Germany) and Optica (Canada). They have participated in several international exhibitions such as the 10th Havana Biennial, 3rd Media City Seoul, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2006, Medellín 07, 26th and 28th São Paulo Biennials and 8th Mercosul Biennial. In 2004, they received the Nam June Paik Award. In 2007, they represented Brazil at the 52nd Venice Biennale.