RIO ART RESIDENCY 2025
In the past 100 years, Brazil experienced several currents of creative expression - the birth of Brazilian Modernism in 1922 which inspired the fine arts, poetry, music, cinema, architecture and symbolised a break with the past; the rise of samba and carnival from its origins to the mainstream in the 1920s and beyond; the dawn of Cinema Novo, Tropicalia and the Neo-concrete Movement; the resistance to the Military regime from 1964-1985; the awakening of the favelas through Rio Funk music in the 1990s, and more.
Always fertile ground for expression, Rio itself was the origin place of many of these movements or offered the perfect conditions for them to thrive. Cariocas (people born in Rio) are known for their hunger for beauty though not in the traditional sense of the word. Beauty that explodes into existence amidst struggle, pain, chaos, injustice and violence. They embrace the future while constantly looking to the past - firmly rooted while freely evolving.
Digital art, where the possibilities for creating, exploring and innovating are endless, is the natural step forward for artists everywhere to flourish. It’s also a vehicle for Rio artists to connect and exchange their ideas, power and vibrancy with digital artists from elsewhere in the world. This exchange is what the Rio Art Residency is all about.
This July, 15 artists will spend a week in Rio de Janeiro creating together, within the theme “When pixels learned to samba”, learning from each other and their surroundings and experiencing what, for many, will be a new environment ripe for inspiration.
The programme will end in September, when artists will take part in a group show at SuperRare’s Offline gallery, in NYC, and their works will become available to be collected.
LEAD ARTIST
EFDOT
Efdot is a visual artist based in NYC. Throughout his career, he has cultivated an art practice and boutique creative studio that encompasses various analog and digital art projects. He started in graphic/product design and custom typography, studying at Drexel University and completing his studies in 2012. Since then, his work has been showcased in exhibitions across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, featuring large-scale murals, paintings, screenprints, letterpress prints, animations, sculptures, and more.
ARTISTS
Abeguar
Abeguar is a fashion designer and painter, blending art and style in creations that move between clothing and canvas. He works with sustainable fashion, developing unique pieces from recycled fabrics and materials. His aesthetic is defined by visual boldness and emotional expression, turning each work into a narrative of consciousness and creativity.
Alienqueen
ALIENQUEEN is a contemporary artist who creates surreal, dreamlike illustrations that explore the balance between calm and chaos. She draws inspiration from psychedelics, dreams, love, and death, transforming ordinary moments into something deeper and more thought-provoking. As a Cambodian refugee, her family’s journey influences her art, bringing themes of love, loss, and human connection to life. Her unique style has led to collaborations with Gucci, Snoop Dogg, and Red Bull Racing, with her work featured in global auctions including Sotheby’s. Through her art, she invites people to reflect on life, mortality, and the deeper connections that shape our existence.
Beissú
Pedro Ribeiro, also known as BEISSÚ, is a digital artist from São Paulo, Brazil. His work explores emotions, memories, and cultural narratives through abstract compositions and vibrant colors, offering a sensitive and symbolic interpretation of the human experience.
bryan brinkman
Bryan Brinkman is an award-winning multi-media artist who utilizes his career in animation and motion graphics to create fun and inventive ways to convey ideas about creative processes and the cryptoart space that are both approachable and appealing.
dave krugman
Dave Krugman is a New York based photographer, cryptoartist, and writer, and is the founder of ALLSHIPS, a culture company based on the idea that a rising tide raises all ships. His photography is an ode to cyberpunk inspirations and he works to reveal the beauty at confluences of circumstance.
MARIAH
Mariah is a Serbian-born artist with a Master of Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade and a Master of Science from Politecnico di Milano in Italy. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade. Her work has been featured in over 40 local and international exhibitions, including notable venues such as the largest billboard in Times Square, Art in Space gallery in Dubai, and Mad Arts Space in Florida. Mariah’s pieces are part of private collections across the USA and Europe.
nishant (EGO DEAD)
Nishant Malhotra (Ego Dead) is an Indian American artist raised in California's Bay Area and now based in New York City who explores surreal expressionism as a means of meditation. His paintings delve into themes of self-identity and ego, challenging viewers to contemplate our interconnectedness and shared consciousness. Through intricate symbolism and a unique style, Nishant invites us to introspectively explore the complexities of human existence and the universal quest for oneness.
NOAH KOCHER
Noah Kocher is a multimedia artist from Tennessee, currently based in New York City. Best known for his use of collage, he forms surreal, dream-like narratives filled with memory, emotion, and texture. Through his unique perspective and use of vintage imagery, Kocher tells stories that feel like echoes from half-forgotten dreams. Intimate yet expansive, familiar yet unplaceable. With a practice rooted in curiosity, introspection and transformation, Kocher promotes mindfulness and expanded awareness, creating pieces that resist categorization and invite deeper reflection.
POST WOOK
Natasha Chomko (b. 1995) is a celebrated digital artist based in Los Angeles, known for her mastery in creating surreal landscape collage art that bridges visionary aesthetics with psychedelic elements. Her distinct style transcends traditional artistic boundaries, making her work not only resonant with connoisseurs of psychedelic art but also accessible to a broader audience.
p1a
Pia started her fine arts education at the age of 15, later studying post-conceptual art at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Her path expanded through stage costume and puppetry, where designing the character Mama Ubu from Alfred Jerry’s absurd theater Ubu Roi trilogy which became a turning point. This project laid the foundation for her distinctive visual language - from a melding costume, absurdism, and embodiment which later carried her into the film industry as a costume designer for historical productions.
fotogracria
Salem, also known as Fotogracria, is a Brazilian creative director and photographer. Born and raised in the Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro, she grew tired of the negative portrayals of her community and decided to showcase the beauty found in its alleys and streets from her perspective as a resident, infused with creativity and audiovisual artistry. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Art of Rio (MAR) and the Museum of Tomorrow.
TORMIUS
Tormius is a digital artist from Valencia, Spain, working at the intersection of geometric abstraction and the absurd. His practice revolves around bold shapes, vivid colors, and a commitment to visual clarity, creating compositions that explore tension, play, and meaning through structure.