ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Alex Oliveira's Fotoperformance Popular Captures Street Encounters

artist · 2026-07-30

Alex Oliveira (born 1987, Jequié, Bahia) creates the ongoing series Fotoperformance Popular (2019–), a mobile studio set up in streets and squares where vendors, workers, and passersby perform before colorful backdrops. Participants receive a postcard of their portrait. The project emphasizes relational bonds over finished images, with Oliveira sometimes intervening in gestures. The series was recently exhibited at Espaço Porto in Vila Madalena, São Paulo. Oliveira was a finalist in the 1st Photography Prize of Instituto Adelina (2021), curated by Ronaldo Entler, with his series Aurora (2020–2021) inspired by his mother. The article is written by Camila Fontenele, a researcher and curator.

Key facts

  • Alex Oliveira was born in 1987 in Jequié, Bahia.
  • Fotoperformance Popular began in 2019 and is ongoing.
  • The project uses a mobile studio in urban spaces.
  • Participants include street vendors, autonomous workers, and passersby.
  • Each participant receives a postcard with their photograph.
  • Oliveira was a finalist in the 1st Photography Prize of Instituto Adelina in 2021.
  • The prize was curated by Ronaldo Entler.
  • Oliveira's earlier series Aurora (2020–2021) was inspired by his mother.
  • The series was exhibited at Espaço Porto in Vila Madalena, São Paulo.
  • The article author is Camila Fontenele.

Entities

Artists

  • Alex Oliveira
  • Ronaldo Entler
  • Camila Fontenele

Institutions

  • Instituto Adelina
  • Espaço Porto
  • ZUM

Locations

  • Jequié
  • Bahia
  • Brazil
  • São Paulo
  • Vila Madalena

Sources