Creative Macau

Center for Creative Industries

Visual Arts

João Miguel Barros

The cultural magazine SEMA (Lisbon, 1978-1982), of which I was co-editor and director (together with Maria José de Freitas), was of decisive importance in a life made of personal engagements and cultural interests that began in 1978 and have continued, at various levels of involvement, until the present day.

From the end of the 1990s, one area of cultural activity – photography – began to predominate, from an amateur and non-systematic perspective, involving study of the key movements and the major figures. But greater knowledge brought a narrowing of interests. I have developed a more in-depth understanding of what is called “documentary and contemporary photography”, more prevalent in the Chinese and Japanese strand of the art form, and I’m better able to identify, although geographically disperse, the work of small publishers which focus on auteur photography.

I keep a very close eye on what is going on in the cultural field, especially literature and the visual arts. But currently my greatest personal investment, during free time away from my main occupation as a lawyer, is in producing black and white photographs, collecting books on photography and preparing a project involving a series of exhibitions of contemporary photography.

 

João Miguel Barros

(May, 2016)

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Exhibitions

Seeing The Light In Black And White – Photography Exhibition

13th January — 19th February, 2022

In the course of the history of photography, among photographers who make it as art, there have been opposing ideas about texts to explain the images. It is said that a good photograph needs no explanation. If photography is art and art is sufficient, the image itself must be independent, transmitting everything through the image […]

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Talk: Between Gaze and Hallucination by João Miguel Barros

17th March, 2017

João Miguel Barros, the artist of “Between Gaze and Hallucination” – current exhibition at CREATIVE MACAU, is going to have a talk, moderated by photographer Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro, with the public at 18:00 on 17 March 2017 (Friday). Do not miss this chance to know more about his unique black & white photography.

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“BETWEEN GAZE AND HALLUCINATION” B/W photography

23rd February — 25th March, 2017

“Photography is subversive not when it frightens, repels, or even stigmatizes, but when it is pensive, when it thinks.” Roland Barthes The mass popularisation of photography and of the taking of photographs has drastically reduced our chances of being aware, camera in hand and ready to snap, of the truly telling moment. Or, looking at […]

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“Here & Now” 13th anniversary members exhibition

27th August — 30th September, 2016

Adalberto Tenreiro, Alexandre Marreiros, Armelle de L, Chan Un Man, Cristina Vinhas, Duarte Esmeriz, DWG, Elói Scarva, Fernando Simões, Francisco Ricarte, Ho Si Man, João Miguel Barros, Lai Sio Kit, Laura Che, Li Li, Lúcia Lemos, Madalena Fonseca, Marina Carvalho, Mavin Zin, Noah Ng, Ohi, Rodrigo de Matos, Rusty Fox, Sofia Bobone, Tang Kuok Hou […]

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