Diogo Pimentão: Drawing Beyond the Page

Portuguese artist Diogo Pimentão (born 1973 in Lisbon, lives and works in France) expands drawing beyond paper into performance, video, and sculpture. His practice centers on the body's gesture as a fundamental trace, exploring space through graphite monochromes, folded paper, and performative actions. Recent works include 'Linha' (2011), a line of matches burned on a wall; 'Nó (distância fechada)' (2012), knotted paper strips from earlier drawings; and 'Fracção (Promesse)' (2009), a performance with a graphite-filled paper cube. Pimentão's series 'Balística' features graphite bullets, while 'Centrifuge' uses a shaking tray to create meditative gradients. His work oscillates between rigorous spatial organization and organic disorder, as seen in 'Dobra Dobrada' (2012), a carefully folded graphite sheet. Upcoming exhibitions include Mamac, Nice (2012); Musée des beaux-arts, La Chaux-de-Fonds; and Galeria Vera Cortes, Lisbon (2012); and Kunsthalle Ziegelhütte, Appenzell (2013). Past venues include Galerie Schleicher+Lange, Paris; Centre d'art contemporain de la Ferme du Buisson, Noisiel; Galerie Cristina Guerra, Lisbon; Van Horn Gallery, Düsseldorf; and Maison de la Suisse (Le Corbusier) in Paris.