Keg de Souza

Temporary Spaces, Edible Places by Keg De Souza, an ATLAS Arts commission 2014.

Keg de Souza is an Australian artist working across a range of mediums ranging from performance, drawing, temporary architecture, food, mapping, zines and artists books.^[1] Initially training in architecture she has developed a strong focus of spatial practice also informed by time squatting and organising events in Sydney. Often taking a pedagogical approach she explores themes situation, social spaces, community, knowledge exchange and the commons and places emphasis on reciprocity, playfulness and participation.

Biography

Keg De Souza was born in 1978 in Perth, Australia and now lived and works in Sydney, Australia.^[2]

She has been described as an inter-disciplinary artist who works in video, artist’s books, printmaking, inflatable architecture, installation and drawing. ^[3]

Education

She graduated from University of New South Wales in Art and Design where she exhibited with fellow artist Anna John in The Private Lives of Ups and Downs in 2007. ^[4]

Artistic Career

de Souza's international picnic project Temporary Spaces, Edible Places began in 2014 at the Delfina Foundation, London. ^[5]Later that year she was invited to the Isle of Skye by ATLAS Arts to present the work.^[6] The work then travelled to the Contemporary Gallery, Vancouver and the AC Institute, New York. ^{[7] [8][9]} In each location, the artist focused on local culture and foods to explore her interest in the politics of food and space in pedagogical learning processes. ^{[10] [11]}

"People often gather in spaces around food, and I want to draw on that tendency in order to have my explorations of food grounded in discussion and sharing".^[12]

Recent work

In July 2018, Keg de Souza first institutional solo exhibition 'Common Knowledge and Learning Curves' opened at Artspace, Sydney from 29 Jul 2018 until 12 Aug 2018. The exhibition includes a meeting place and workshops on 'mindful eating'. The exhibition displays all the hallmarks of her work including temporal structures using readymade materials and site-specific events that invites participation from local residents; migrants and indigenous, including those who have recently moved into the community. ^[13][14][15]

Other exhibitions include; The National: New Australian Art, Art Gallery of NSW (2017); 20th Biennale of Sydney (2016); Setouchi Triennale (2016); Appetite for Construction, Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver (2016); Preservation, Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver (2015); Temporality in Architecture, Food and Communities, Delfina Foundation, London (2014); 5th Auckland Triennial (2013) and 15th Jakarta Biennale (2013).^{[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]}

References