Sérgio Cruz creates video art that develops a powerful pull, carried by a specific sense of rhythm and skillfully arranged, beautifully shot images of urban life and performative expression at times energetic, at other times contemplative. He draws from different artistic genres, both in terms of technique and content, spanning different musical styles, different visual art genres such as documentary, cinema, painting, and photography, and performative directions such as dance, sports or traditional performative arts. Choreographed in a certain manner, they give his video work its intriguing, rich and complex note. So for instance, images reminding

of classical paintings by old masters may fade into sequences of street life reminiscent of documentary reportages, which may in turn be followed by sequences that are shot in the style of music videos, underlined by club culture music, or ethnic performative music and dance, which may then fade back naturally into a photography style still life.

On first glance, the work seems 'merely' observatory in nature, a study of current 'outdoor culture and life as it manifests itself'. Yet the images and scenes conveyed by a changing flow and rhythm transport different subtext and allegories, which depending on the perspective and cultural backdrop can have different connotations or carry different meanings. The scenes, although seemingly capturing the „everyday“ in all its simplicy and complexity, its harmony and disharmony, provoke and refuel contemporary notions on orientalism, post-colonialism, gender, race, or challenge the standards of normalcy and beauty. In spite of their complexity, the videos refrain from being imposing. They are intriguing on different levels, providing a both stimulating and enjoyable experience.

Text: Pierre Wolter & Melanie Zagrean.

Sérgio Cruz was born in Portugal. He lives in London as an artist and filmmaker. He initially studied sound and image at Fine Art universities in Portugal and Holland. With the objective of combining his interest in cinema, performance and fine arts, Cruz undertook two master degrees in London, the first in Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins and the second in “Dance for the Screen” at The Place - London Contemporary Dance School. Since then, his art practice has become solely devoted to film and video as a medium to articulate gesture. Sergio’s films have won several awards and have been internationally broadcast on television (for instance as part of British Channel 4 Three Minute Wonder series’) and screened in film festivals and art galleries, including the collective exhibition Figuring Landscapes held at the Tate Gallery, London. Art Claims Impulse in Berlin holds the artist's first solo exhibition.