Romy Pocztaruk

Fortress to Solitude - Romy Pocztaruk

Born: 1983
Hometown: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Lives and Works: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Website: www.romypocz.com

About the artist

Romy Pocztaruk (b. 1983), from and currently living in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, develops works in video, film, photography, and performance. In re-contextualizing places and situations, Pocztaruk blurs the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary, allowing the viewer to create new and unusual narratives. Her recent exhibitions include Convite à Viagem (Invitation to Travel) at Itaú Cultural, São Paulo (2012); Simulated Pathways at Paço das Artes, São Paulo, and Skalitzer 140, Berlin (2011); Photoautomatraum at Alice Groupius Showroom, Berlin (2010); Porto Alegre Through a Hidden City at Amsterdam Biennale, Amsterdam (2009); Conexões Tecnológicas at Instituto Sérgio Motta/Latin America Memorial, São Paulo (2008); and All Photographers Now at Musée de l’Elysée, Paris (2006). In 2011 she received the Iberê Camargo Fellowship, granted by Iberê Camargo Foundation in Porto Alegre. As a fellow, Pocztaruk completed a three-month residency at the Bronx Museum in New York City.

Q&A with Romy Pocztaruk

What are the issues that concern you the most when creating new work?
Currently I'm interested in discussing and thinking about issues related to the frictions generated by the failure of utopias. These residues, both historical and sentimental, drive my artistic work. Also, issues related to the increasingly present tension we have between reality and simulation are recurring themes in my work.

What artists or artworks have impacted you and influenced your own practice?
A large part of my references comes from literature and cinema, a tenuous mixture of nouvelle vague and sci-fi..

What is your routine when it comes to making art?
Most of my work comes from travel, where I collect material for later editing. Of course, these trips are planned according to the themes I’m exploring at the moment. So it’s hard to think of a routine. I’d say that my process has two stages… first is gathering, second is harvesting.

If pursuing art were not an option, what other profession would you go into?
Good question!