Carlos Bunga. (Porto, 1976) Bunga claims an autobiographical trail as part of the narrative. This is understandable if we look back: his mother was forced to flee with a two-year-old daughter from her country, Angola, while she was pregnant with him. The artist's family was part of the exodus of refugees generated by the Angolan War of Independence (1961-1975), and who were welcomed in Portugal thanks to the humanitarian air corridors organized by the Red Cross.
After spending time in two reception centers in Porto, they were relocated to pre-built houses that the Portuguese Housing Development Fund earmarked in 1983 for low-income Portuguese families, as well as a small percentage of Angolan refugees. The perishable materials of these constructions led to an almost immediate deterioration that, shortly after, led to their demolition due to the unacceptable living conditions. Bunga, as he has stated, learned to adapt to these transitory spaces. This way of relating to the world, as he has stated, makes him feel nomadic in its way of thinking, but also of being and being.
Carlos Bunga's work has been exhibited in important international museums and art centers such as the Museu de Serralves in Porto (2012), the MUAC-UNAM University Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico City (2013), the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA, 2015), the Museum Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich (2015), the Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia de Lisboa (MAAT, 2019), the Whitechapel Gallery in London (2020) or the Vienna Secession (2021 ). He has also participated in the 29th São Paulo Biennial (2010) and in Manifesta 5 (2004) held in Donostia-San Sebastián.
After spending time in two reception centers in Porto, they were relocated to pre-built houses that the Portuguese Housing Development Fund earmarked in 1983 for low-income Portuguese families, as well as a small percentage of Angolan refugees. The perishable materials of these constructions led to an almost immediate deterioration that, shortly after, led to their demolition due to the unacceptable living conditions. Bunga, as he has stated, learned to adapt to these transitory spaces. This way of relating to the world, as he has stated, makes him feel nomadic in its way of thinking, but also of being and being.
Carlos Bunga's work has been exhibited in important international museums and art centers such as the Museu de Serralves in Porto (2012), the MUAC-UNAM University Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico City (2013), the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA, 2015), the Museum Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich (2015), the Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia de Lisboa (MAAT, 2019), the Whitechapel Gallery in London (2020) or the Vienna Secession (2021 ). He has also participated in the 29th São Paulo Biennial (2010) and in Manifesta 5 (2004) held in Donostia-San Sebastián.
