Born in 1972 in Lisboa, Portugal.

Catarina SIMÃO is an artist and researcher who lives and works between Maputo and Lisbon.

She is known for her film "Effects of wording [Efeito e redação] - The Mozambique Archive Series" (2014, Driector).

Her practice is built upon long-term research projects that entail collaborative partnerships and different forms of presentation to the public. Simão is known for her essay-like displays, using documentation, writing, video and drawing. She also engages in radio shows and public talks, participatory workshops, curating film screenings and publishing.

Since 2009 that Simão has worked with the notion of Archive, engaging especially with Mozambique's anti-colonial and Independence history. Heavily influenced by narratives of history, Simão approaches critically the counterpart of record's custody, their mutable meanings and their ability to embody a deferred knowledge. She works mainly with film and video set in installation but also uses other figurative elements like photography, textbooks, drawing and sound. Simão's work has been shown at Serralves Museum, Manifesta 8, Africa.cont, Reina Sofia Museum, Ashkal Alwan, New Museum, The Kyiv School, EVA International, Transit Gallery, Garage Museum and IASPIS, among others.

In Mozambique, Simão develops conditions for an artistic intervention within a social context by collaborating with local associations and institutions. She co-directed a Mozambique TV film called Djambo in 2016 and in 2019 she co-organized together with Oficina de História (Mozambique) the 1st Seminar on Restitution of art and artefacts to Mozambique (CCFM, May 2019). Since February 2020 she is co-editor of "Lutar Por Cabo Delgado", a facebook page dedicated to composing an archive of filtered information and imagery on the ongoing war in Cabo Delgado, in the North of Mozambique.

Since 2020, Simão is member and part of the founding committee of AAVP - Associação de Artistas Visuais em Portugal, the organization for visual artists in Portugal.

Link to artist's books:
- 17 Introductions for the Mozambique Institute, 2014
- UHURU: Stamp. Genealogy. Anatomy, 2015
- Politics of friendship, 2014-2015

Link to films
- [2013] Mueda 79 | The Mozambique Archive Series: video work for Report on the Construction of a Spaceship Module, New Museum, NY. A project commissioned by tranzit.org. Mueda 79 (11′): vimeo.com/82771547, password: maputo.

- [2012] Estas são As Armas | The Mozambique archive Series: split screen/video installation for Black box, Arsenal - Institut für Film und Videokunst e.V., Berlin. In context of the Spectres for freedom screening program. Estas São As Armas (extrais): vimeo.com/198428020, password: armas.-

[2014] Effects of Wording | The Mozambique Archive Series: video installation for Really Useful Knowledge, curated by WHW, Reina Sofia Museum. Effects of Wording (29′), vimeo.com/135934966, password: bagamoyo.
- [2016] Ntimbe Caetano | The Mozambique Archive Series: video installation for Fevered Spectres of art, Edith-Russ Haus, Oldenburg, curated by Edit Molnar, Livia Paldi and Marcel Schwierin. Ntimbe Caetano (29′), vimeo.com/189307818, password: NTIMBE.

- [2016] Djambo: documentary for Mozambique Public TV in context of DOCTV-CPLP 2016 for Mozambique pole (co-direction with Chico Carneiro). Djambo (52′), 2016, vimeo.com/295464216, password: djambo
- [2017]Five minuts with Ruy Guerra | The Mozambique Archive Series: screened at Il Cinema Ritrovato (Bologna 2020).Five minuts with Ruy Guerra (5′), vimeo.com/362734575

Source:
catarinasimao.com/