While in residency, from Oct 2020 to Jan 2021, Thiago created Revestíbulo (a Portuguese neologism to refer to “vestíbulo” and “revestir”, a mix between the vestibule and the action of coating or covering). This was a development of the Pintura de Parede series (Wall Painting) that the artist started in 2013, creating compositions using different kinds of sandpapers previously employed to renovate his own house and studio in Brazil.
This site-specific work congregates several of the artist´s interests, namely the work in collaboration (in this case with Heitor Fonseca, from AiR 351) and personal experiences such as being a teacher for many years and the fact that AiR 351 is located in a former school building. Revestíbulo also comprised a performative and transformative gesture operated in the space. The landscape atmosphere created and the watery elements from the wet-and-dry sandpapers resonates the rocky coastal area nearby where one can find natural caves and organic morphologies. It also seems to mirror the original green tiles one can find partially covering the walls, as a dark reflection.
(residency)