António Olaio was born in Lubango, Angola, in 1963 and he presently lives in Coimbra, Portugal. He is an artist and Professor at the Department of Architecture and at the Arts College of the Coimbra University, where he got his PHD in 2000. A researcher at the Social Studies Centre of the same university, he explores the conceptual potential of art as an object of reflection, namely in the relationships between the individual and the surrounding space. Through his performances, he eventually came to music and he was one of the founders of the Repórter Estrábico band, in 1986. With musician João Taborda he composed various songs which are often part of his videos and exhibitions, such as Loud Cloud, in 1996, Sit on my soul, 2000 and Blaupunkit Blues, in 2007. Olaio has had numerous exhibitions, namely: My Left Hand is Changing, Pedro Oliveira Gallery, Oporto, 2000, Art of the artists, Culturgest, 2003, Pictures Are not Movies, Filomena Soares Gallery, Lisbon, 2005, Cleaning up the Vacuum, Fernando Santos Gallery, Oporto, 2017 and Next to the Next Century, Kubik Gallery, Oporto, 2021. It is important to mention, between 2001 and 2020, the exhibition and book, I think differently now that I can paint, Vila Flor Cultural Centre, Guimarães, 2007 and Yellow Birds in the Shade, Stolen Books, Lisbon, 2015. António Olaio has received several awards and distinctions and his work is represented in numerous collections such as the EDP Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Serralves Foundation, Círculo de Artes Plásticas of Coimbra, Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea e Museu Ibero-Americano de Arte Contemporânea in Badajoz, Spain.
JFB, April 2022
