João Maria Gusmão (b. 1979) is a Lisbon-based artist whose experimental work spans analogue film, primitive photography, and moving image installations. Central to his practice is a form of critical archaeology, through which he reactivates early image-making technologies to question our perception of time, space, and reality. His film in s, photographs, and objects draw on literature and metaphysics, conjuring speculative worldviews rooted in art, science, and philosophy. From 2001 to 2018, Gusmão collaborated with Pedro Paiva, forming an internationally recognized duo known for their idiosyncratic visual language and philosophical inquiry. Since 2019, he has developed a solo career while also working as a curator, editor, and writer. Across his trajectory, the artist has cultivated a consistent interest in illusion, material transformation, and the limits of representation. Whether working with film, photography, or installation, his practice merges scientific curiosity with poetic intuition, dissolving conventional boundaries between media and disciplines.
Some of the artist’s recent solo shows include All Them Swines, Escola das Artes da Universidade Católica do Porto, Porto, Portugal (2025); Animal Farm, 99canal, New York, USA (2024); Lusque-Fusque Arrebol, Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art, Lisboa, Portugal (2022) and Variations — Eugène Frey’s Light Set Projections, Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, Monaco (2021). He has also taken part in the relevant group shows Blinded by the Light, Casa da Cultura da Comporta, Comporta, Portugal (2025); Antropoceno: Em busca de um novo humano?, MACAM – Museu de Arte Contemporânea Armando Martins, Lisbon, Portugal (2025); Nunca só essa mente, nunca só esse mundo, Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel | Carpintaria, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2023); O Canto do Bode, Casa da Cultura de Comporta, Comporta, Portugal (2021).
The artist’s work has been included in important public collections, such as Tate Modern, London, UK; SFMOMA – San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, USA; FRAC – Fonds regional d’art contemporain d’Île-de-France, Île-de-France, France; Instituto Inhotim, Brumadinho, Brazil; Serralves, Porto, Portugal; Mudam – Museé d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg; Museo de Arte Contemporáneio de Castilla y León, León, Spain; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, USA; MNAC – Museu Nacional do Chiado, Lisbon, Portugal; Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Bergamo, Italy and Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon, Portugal.
