Diego Araúja: For a Time of the Expanding Body

Bahia-based performance artist Diego Araúja is gaining recognition in visual arts. His work explores alternative temporalities and new languages among Afro-diasporic countries. Central to his practice is the concept of "aesthetics for a non-time," aiming to establish a "qualitative time" for emancipated Afro-diasporic memories. His notable piece QUASEILHAS (2018) combined immersive theater, digital influences, and live music, allowing viewers to navigate multiple spaces. This work led to an invitation from Isaac Julien to create a choreographic performance for his video installation A Marvellous Entanglement (2019) about Lina Bo Bardi. Araúja is currently participating in the Ghana Pavilion at the Venice Biennale with the installation Um Congresso do Sal (2022). In 2020, he completed a residency at SAVVY Contemporary in Berlin with artist Laís Machado, with whom he co-runs the platform ÀRÀKÁ. Together, they are developing the Laboratório Internacional de Crioulo, a project to create a language not born from colonial trauma, using the body as a primary tool. During the pandemic, Araúja explored digital spaces with Game Ensaio (2020), an online escape-room-style project for the digital exhibition Os dias antes da quebra curated by Diane Lima. The work combines theoretical references with memory narratives, reflecting the labyrinthine pandemic context.