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CURATORS E TUTORS
Internationally renowned curators are invited to program the Azores Video Art Screenings. They design exclusive session for FUSO INSULAR and present a selection of works by Portuguese and foreign artists. The screenings are preceded by a conversation with the curator, in order to enrich the audience’s knowledge.
The Moving Image Laboratory, FUSO INSULAR’s Creative Residency Programme, invites artists with extensive experience in the field of the moving image, who are responsible for the theoretical training and practical tutoring of the participants.
Cláudia Varejão was born in Porto and studied at the Creativity and Artistic Creation Program of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in partnership with the German Film und Fernsehakademie Berlin and the São Paulo International Film Academy. She also studied Photography at AR.CO in Lisbon. Cláudia is the author of the short film trilogy Weekend, A Cold Day and Morning Light. Ama-san, a portrait of japa- nese divers, was her feature debut, receiving dozens of awards around the world, followed by In The Dark- ness of the Theater I Take Off My Shoes and Amor Fati. Wolf and Dog, her previous film, premiered at the 79th Venice Film Festival and received the Best Film Award at the Giornate Degli Autori section. Kora, a short documentary film, takes her back to Venice. Cláudia’s films have been selected by and awarded at the most prestigious film festivals, including Locarno, Rotterdam, Visions du Reel, Cinema du Reel, Karlovy Vary, Art of the Real - Lincoln Center, Venice Film Festival, among many others. Alongside her work as a filmmaker, she develops a career as a photographer and has been invited to give classes and workshops at various Film and Art schools. Her work, whether in cinema or photography, documentary or fiction, lives in close proximity to her characters.
ph: © Catarina Vasconcelos
André Laranjinha (b. 1977) lives and works in São Miguel. He has a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Lisbon and works in cinema, video, visual arts, graphic arts and illustration. He is co-founder of Alice ’s House atelier, together with graphic designer Júlia Garcia.</p><p>Among his films are: Wine (2018); Stone Walls (2017); Clarissas (2016); Bread (2014); Slaughter (2011); Negro Island (2010); Nature and Ingeniousness (2009) and Pilgrimages from São Miguel (2009).
Jesse James (Vancouver, 1987) is a curator and cultural programmer known for promoting contemporary art and culture in the Azores. As the founder and artistic director of the Walk&Talk Biennial and the cultural space vaga, both projects of Anda&Fala — a multidisciplinary organization he co-founded in 2011 — he has developed a platform for experimental artistic practices that engage with the local ecosystem and foster global dialogues. His curatorial work explores themes and relationships rooted in the periphery, autonomy, and cooperation, aiming to experiment with collective and communal movements. James also collaborates on various independent projects: he is the co-founder and artistic director of the Fabric Arts Festival (Fall River, USA); a founding member of MOVA — Movement for Art and Culture in the Azores; and has curated several exhibitions, while also collaborating in the strategic management of projects, artists, and cultural organizations. He lives and works between Ponta Delgada and Lisbon.
ph:©MarianaLopes
Claire Shea is a curator based in Toronto. She is co-curator of Walk&Talk — Bienal de Artes, September — November 2025, in São Miguel (Azores, Portugal). From 2022 to 2024, she was the Director of Fogo Island Arts, where she oversaw new exhibitions and programs, including ‘Meltwater,’ the Labrador Current Foodways residency and Liam Gillick’s ‘A Variability Quantifier.’ From 2017 to 2021, she was Deputy Director at Para Site, Hong Kong’s leading contemporary art center and one of Asia’s oldest and most active independent art institutions, where she co-curated the major group exhibition ‘An Opera for Animals,’ which toured Rockbund Art Museum in 2019.
From 2008 to 2016, she was Curatorial Director at Cass Sculpture Foundation, where she curated ‘A Beautiful Disorder,’ the UK’s first major exhibition of outdoor sculpture by contemporary artists from Greater China. In 2014, she was Associate Curator for the 8th Shenzhen Sculpture Biennial, ‘We Have Never Participated.’ Most recently, she was the managing editor of a new publication from Para Site, Sternberg, & MIT Press entitled ‘What to Let Go?’ (2024).
ph: © sarah bodri
Fatima Bintou Rassoul SY is a Dakar-based curator and cultural practitioner. She currently serves as Director of Programs at RAW Material Company, where she develops transdisciplinary projects that foster artistic and intellectual creativity in Africa. Her curatorial work spans exhibitions, associated discursive programs, non-educational programs, and international collaborations. With a deep interest in archives and Black geographies, Fatima explores how communities express untold stories, creating spaces that preserve collective memory and foster connections. She holds a degree from Paris 1 (Panthéon-Sorbonne) University and has contributed to various cultural publications.
ph: ©Kerry Etola Viderot
Liliana Coutinho (Lisbon, 1977) is a Debates and Conferences programmer at Culturgest — Caixa Geral de Depósitos Foundation and an Integrated Researcher at IHC — NOVA FCSH / IN2PAST. She is co-curator of Walk&Talk - Bienal de Artes, September — November 2025, in São Miguel (Azores, Portugal).She was part of the curatorial team for the INDEX / Braga Media Arts Biennials of Art and Technology, in 2022 and 2024.She was assistant director and curator of thematic cycles at Teatro Maria Matos between 2015 and 2017.Between 2013 and 2015, she was responsible for the Education Service at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art.As a researcher and curator, she has collaborated with CAM - Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, M.A.C. Serralves, Le Plateau (Paris), Artistas Unidos and Atelier Re.Al.She was part of the editorial team for Close-Up, Orfeu Negro, 2022, by Ana Borralho & João Galante.
She co-edited the book Paisagens Imprevistas (2020), dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Materiais Diversos Festival. Published, among others, “Empatia: Reflexões sobre uma possível correlação humano-artificial”, in Arte digital, Academia, Museu ZeRo, Museu ZerO and I2ADS UP, 2024; “O delicado fio do comum”, in André Guedes, Ensaios para uma antológica, Kunsthalle Lissabon and Cura Books, 2016; “L’objet: ni un fétiche ni une preuve, mais un don pour la performance”, in Performance Vie d’Archive, Les presses du réel, 2014; ‘O Coro, outra vez’, in Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker em Lisboa, INCM, 2013; On the utility of a universal’s fiction, in Gimme Shelter: Global Discourses In Aesthetics. Amsterdam University Press, 2013; “Hearing our pathway — A Sensuous Walk”, in Mobility and Fantasy in Visual Culture, London: Routledge, 2013. She has participated in scientific committees, published articles and given lectures in Portugal and abroad. She holds a PhD in Aesthetics and Art Sciences from the University of Paris 1 — Pantheon Sorbonne. She was a guest lecturer at the Postgraduate Program in Art Curatorship at FCSH/UNL and is a guest assistant lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Letters at the University of Beira Interior.
Jean-François Chougnet (France) is the artistic director of FUSO and has dedicated his career to cultural policies. He was Managing Director of Villette, Paris (2001-2006). In 2005, he was the General Commissioner of the Year of Brazil in France. He directed the Berardo Foundation in Lisbon from 2007 to 2011. In 2011, Jean-François Chougnet became CEO of Marseille-Provence Capital of European Culture 2013. From 2014 to 2022 he was president of the Musée des Civilizations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (Mucem), in Marseille, France and director of the « Lille 3000 » festival. Jean-François Chougnet is a curator and consultant on museum projects.
Rachel Korman is curatorial and general coordinator at FUSO - International Video Art Festival, in Lisbon and artistic Diretor at FUSO Insular – Video Art Festival, in Azores.
Brazilian of Polish origin, lives and works in São Miguel island, Azores.
She is graduated in Social Communication (PUC-MG), with a degree in arts from Parque Lage School of Visual Arts, Rio de Janeiro. In 2007 she moved to Lisbon, Portugal where she attended the Advanced Photography Course at Ar.Co and the Independent Study Program on Contemporary Art at Maumaus.
Cofounded with Paulo Reis (in memory), Carpe Diem Art & Research, a center for residencies, exhibitions and investigation in contemporary art and collaborated with Hangar - Center for Research and Art as communication Diretor and manager of artistic residencies.
ph: © Alipio Padilha
Cláudia Varejão
Cláudia Varejão was born in Porto and studied at the Creativity and Artistic Creation Program of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in partnership with the German Film und Fernsehakademie Berlin and the São Paulo International Film Academy. She also studied Photography at AR.CO in Lisbon. Cláudia is the author of the short film trilogy Weekend, A Cold Day and Morning Light. Ama-san, a portrait of japa- nese divers, was her feature debut, receiving dozens of awards around the world, followed by In The Dark- ness of the Theater I Take Off My Shoes and Amor Fati. Wolf and Dog, her previous film, premiered at the 79th Venice Film Festival and received the Best Film Award at the Giornate Degli Autori section. Kora, a short documentary film, takes her back to Venice. Cláudia’s films have been selected by and awarded at the most prestigious film festivals, including Locarno, Rotterdam, Visions du Reel, Cinema du Reel, Karlovy Vary, Art of the Real - Lincoln Center, Venice Film Festival, among many others. Alongside her work as a filmmaker, she develops a career as a photographer and has been invited to give classes and workshops at various Film and Art schools. Her work, whether in cinema or photography, documentary or fiction, lives in close proximity to her characters.
ph: © Catarina Vasconcelos
André Laranjinha
André Laranjinha (b. 1977) lives and works in São Miguel. He has a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Lisbon and works in cinema, video, visual arts, graphic arts and illustration. He is co-founder of Alice ’s House atelier, together with graphic designer Júlia Garcia.</p><p>Among his films are: Wine (2018); Stone Walls (2017); Clarissas (2016); Bread (2014); Slaughter (2011); Negro Island (2010); Nature and Ingeniousness (2009) and Pilgrimages from São Miguel (2009).
Jesse James
Jesse James (Vancouver, 1987) is a curator and cultural programmer known for promoting contemporary art and culture in the Azores. As the founder and artistic director of the Walk&Talk Biennial and the cultural space vaga, both projects of Anda&Fala — a multidisciplinary organization he co-founded in 2011 — he has developed a platform for experimental artistic practices that engage with the local ecosystem and foster global dialogues. His curatorial work explores themes and relationships rooted in the periphery, autonomy, and cooperation, aiming to experiment with collective and communal movements. James also collaborates on various independent projects: he is the co-founder and artistic director of the Fabric Arts Festival (Fall River, USA); a founding member of MOVA — Movement for Art and Culture in the Azores; and has curated several exhibitions, while also collaborating in the strategic management of projects, artists, and cultural organizations. He lives and works between Ponta Delgada and Lisbon.
ph:©MarianaLopes
Claire Shea
Claire Shea is a curator based in Toronto. She is co-curator of Walk&Talk — Bienal de Artes, September — November 2025, in São Miguel (Azores, Portugal). From 2022 to 2024, she was the Director of Fogo Island Arts, where she oversaw new exhibitions and programs, including ‘Meltwater,’ the Labrador Current Foodways residency and Liam Gillick’s ‘A Variability Quantifier.’ From 2017 to 2021, she was Deputy Director at Para Site, Hong Kong’s leading contemporary art center and one of Asia’s oldest and most active independent art institutions, where she co-curated the major group exhibition ‘An Opera for Animals,’ which toured Rockbund Art Museum in 2019.
From 2008 to 2016, she was Curatorial Director at Cass Sculpture Foundation, where she curated ‘A Beautiful Disorder,’ the UK’s first major exhibition of outdoor sculpture by contemporary artists from Greater China. In 2014, she was Associate Curator for the 8th Shenzhen Sculpture Biennial, ‘We Have Never Participated.’ Most recently, she was the managing editor of a new publication from Para Site, Sternberg, & MIT Press entitled ‘What to Let Go?’ (2024).
ph: © sarah bodri
Fatima Bintou Rassoul SY
Fatima Bintou Rassoul SY is a Dakar-based curator and cultural practitioner. She currently serves as Director of Programs at RAW Material Company, where she develops transdisciplinary projects that foster artistic and intellectual creativity in Africa. Her curatorial work spans exhibitions, associated discursive programs, non-educational programs, and international collaborations. With a deep interest in archives and Black geographies, Fatima explores how communities express untold stories, creating spaces that preserve collective memory and foster connections. She holds a degree from Paris 1 (Panthéon-Sorbonne) University and has contributed to various cultural publications.
ph: ©Kerry Etola Viderot
Liliana Coutinho
Liliana Coutinho (Lisbon, 1977) is a Debates and Conferences programmer at Culturgest — Caixa Geral de Depósitos Foundation and an Integrated Researcher at IHC — NOVA FCSH / IN2PAST. She is co-curator of Walk&Talk - Bienal de Artes, September — November 2025, in São Miguel (Azores, Portugal).She was part of the curatorial team for the INDEX / Braga Media Arts Biennials of Art and Technology, in 2022 and 2024.She was assistant director and curator of thematic cycles at Teatro Maria Matos between 2015 and 2017.Between 2013 and 2015, she was responsible for the Education Service at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art.As a researcher and curator, she has collaborated with CAM - Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, M.A.C. Serralves, Le Plateau (Paris), Artistas Unidos and Atelier Re.Al.She was part of the editorial team for Close-Up, Orfeu Negro, 2022, by Ana Borralho & João Galante.
She co-edited the book Paisagens Imprevistas (2020), dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Materiais Diversos Festival. Published, among others, “Empatia: Reflexões sobre uma possível correlação humano-artificial”, in Arte digital, Academia, Museu ZeRo, Museu ZerO and I2ADS UP, 2024; “O delicado fio do comum”, in André Guedes, Ensaios para uma antológica, Kunsthalle Lissabon and Cura Books, 2016; “L’objet: ni un fétiche ni une preuve, mais un don pour la performance”, in Performance Vie d’Archive, Les presses du réel, 2014; ‘O Coro, outra vez’, in Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker em Lisboa, INCM, 2013; On the utility of a universal’s fiction, in Gimme Shelter: Global Discourses In Aesthetics. Amsterdam University Press, 2013; “Hearing our pathway — A Sensuous Walk”, in Mobility and Fantasy in Visual Culture, London: Routledge, 2013. She has participated in scientific committees, published articles and given lectures in Portugal and abroad. She holds a PhD in Aesthetics and Art Sciences from the University of Paris 1 — Pantheon Sorbonne. She was a guest lecturer at the Postgraduate Program in Art Curatorship at FCSH/UNL and is a guest assistant lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Letters at the University of Beira Interior.
Jean-François Chougnet
Jean-François Chougnet (France) is the artistic director of FUSO and has dedicated his career to cultural policies. He was Managing Director of Villette, Paris (2001-2006). In 2005, he was the General Commissioner of the Year of Brazil in France. He directed the Berardo Foundation in Lisbon from 2007 to 2011. In 2011, Jean-François Chougnet became CEO of Marseille-Provence Capital of European Culture 2013. From 2014 to 2022 he was president of the Musée des Civilizations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (Mucem), in Marseille, France and director of the « Lille 3000 » festival. Jean-François Chougnet is a curator and consultant on museum projects.
Rachel Korman
Rachel Korman is curatorial and general coordinator at FUSO - International Video Art Festival, in Lisbon and artistic Diretor at FUSO Insular – Video Art Festival, in Azores.
Brazilian of Polish origin, lives and works in São Miguel island, Azores.
She is graduated in Social Communication (PUC-MG), with a degree in arts from Parque Lage School of Visual Arts, Rio de Janeiro. In 2007 she moved to Lisbon, Portugal where she attended the Advanced Photography Course at Ar.Co and the Independent Study Program on Contemporary Art at Maumaus.
Cofounded with Paulo Reis (in memory), Carpe Diem Art & Research, a center for residencies, exhibitions and investigation in contemporary art and collaborated with Hangar - Center for Research and Art as communication Diretor and manager of artistic residencies.
ph: © Alipio Padilha
