May 14. Segredo do Artesão / Rui Mourão (PT)
Segredo do Artesão ∼ The Artisan’s Secret is a transdisciplinary project merging art with anthropology, philosophy, and indigenous epistemologies to explore embodied forms of knowledge. Here it is presented as an intra-action between the artist, six video channels and special appearances. Suggesting that distinct agencies emerge from within relationships, rather than preceding them.
The project, part of Mourãos Phd trajectory, was developed between Europe and the Amazon, it amplifies marginalized voices through intercultural, artistic, and ritual practices. The work of Rui Mourão challenges dichotomies such as nature and technology or North and South, proposing a holistic vision of sustainability that is ecological, cultural, and spiritual.
By valuing ancestral knowledge and fostering collaboration with indigenous communities, it supports both cultural preservation and tangible ecological practices. Ultimately, the project positions diversity as a generative force for rethinking knowledge, sustainability, and shared futures.
He initiated the project in the Amazon where he stayed with Huni Kuni in Amazonas to continue to allocate local knowledges and traditions. Making the project Segredo do Artesão the artist also spent time in Sweden, working with the first two parts of his project. This brought him to address among other things “Gnosjö andan/The spirit of Gnosjö” during the Distancio exhibition on public space and prior to that a feminist Valborg performance ritual later turned in to a video project during Skövde Art Museums residency AiRS.
The presentation in Stockholm is made possible with support from Weld, Slakthusateljéerna, BKN/Björkö Konstnod, walkingaspractice.org and individual artists. For the tour, catalogue and conference traveling with Segredo do Artesão the artist received a generous grant from Direção-Geral das Artes é o organismo da República Portuguesa (área governativa da Cultura, Juventude e Desporto).
May at 2pm-8pm
Weld
Norrtullsgatan 7
Come and go as you please during the exhibition’s opening hours
Artist talk at 6:00 p.m. with Rui Mourão (PT), Bruno Marques (PT), and Anna Viola Hallberg (SE)
Rui Mourão
is based in Lisbon, Portugal. His work spans video art and installation, performance, dance, writing, and poetic imagery with a signum of blending audiovisual anthropology with contemporary critical art.
Rui Mourão is currently pursuing a PhD in Artistic Research in Lisbon, with previous studies in Barcelona and Malmö. Mourão holds a post graduate degree in Digital Visual Cultures and a Master degree in Anthropology.
The work has been shown internationally in festivals, exhibitions, and museums across 17 countries, and has received several awards, including at FUSO (Lisbon) and Make Art Not Fear (2022). He has also participated in major events such as LOOP Barcelona and GIBCA Extended.
Alongside his artistic practice, Rui Mourão engages in research, writing, and collaborative projects, and works as a cultural mediator at the National Museum of Theatre and Dance.