Rene Tavares

 “My work reflects on the African diaspora and my creative process as an artist. By questioning borders, I express myself in order to awaken political awareness and empowerment by creating agitation.”

Born in 1983, Rene Tavares's oeuvre epitomises pulsating energy of colours, forms and diverse sets of vivid-hazy stories.  A post-colonial and multidisciplinary artist, Travares's training began at the National Fine Arts School of Dakar, Senegal. Later, he received a reputed scholarship to study at the School of Fine Arts of Rennes. The varied confluence of cultural exposure may be hazy in the works of Travers but the ethos of belonging continues to sparkle through the diverse hues and methods of artistic creativity.

Tavares also studied photography at the Rennes. Having exhibited worldwide, his works have fetched a multitude of appreciation and worth. He has exhibited in São Tome, Lisbon, Évora, Paris, Bordeaux, Brussels, Amsterdam, Luanda and Porto, among other cities. Tavares has been interested in erasing the borders or lines of control between several regional accounts, languages, and political narratives. Responding to the various zones, that he lived in, his practice nurtures an idea of sustaining the permeable qualities of being in social spheres. In 2010, he completed a Master of Science in Art and Heritage from Lisbon in Portugal.

Interestingly, Travares belongs to the west African island São Tomé, whose historical lineage traces back to the multiple voyages of the Portuguese. Combining the inherent conditioning with the new post colonial exposure of metro cities brought him at the junction of a renewed format of expression. His recent works reflect on everyday reality through the memory of heritage, perception of the essence and intermingling identities.

Rene Tavares lives and works in Lisbon, Portugal.