Miguel Palma (Portuguese, b. 1964)

Miguel Palma is an artist who appropriates the narratives of a modernity in permanent querying to better reflect on the present, he is clearly fascinated by icons of classical modernity: the aviation world, the motor car, architecture, nature (more or less domesticated), and technology in general.

It is also possible to see a view behind his artistic practice which, in many aspects, is very similar to that of the collector. He produces pieces and invents rare machines, restoring old objects so as to transform these artefacts into collector’s items. In his work, the act of creation and that of appropriation are inseparable and the lines that so clearly detached these two processes are blurred. Palma’s creativity unfolds into a constructive pulsion that summons and problematizes concepts such as progress, degeneration, speed, and failure, but also features a concern for nature and ecology. Simultaneously, these imageries are overlapped with a significant theme that overarches his work: humor. This is the tool that allows Palma to touch upon such momentous motifs with apparent lightness and irony, especially present in his drawings. With a career of over three decades, his works cover different media, such as sculpture, video, installation, drawing, and performance. He is represented in many public and private collections, both national and internationally, such as Serralves Foundation (PT), Berardo Collection (PT), Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (PT), National Museum of Contemporary Art (PT) Centre Pompidou (FR), FRAC – Limousin (FR), FRAC – Centre (FR), IAC – Institut d’Art Contemporain (FR), CCC – Centre de Création Contemporaine (FR), CGAC – Centro Gallego de Arte Contemporáneo (ES), Colección ARCO (ES), MUDAM – Musée D’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean (LU), ASU Art Museum – Arizona State University Museum (USA), Phoenix Art Museum (USA), among others.