Mide Plácido

Artist Statement

I am a mature woman constantly searching for knowledge about her art and herself.
I was born, I live and work in a small town in the coastal center of Portugal
I have a background in Painting, but currently I use conceptual Photography in the expanded field, through the body and objects in front of the camera. From these, I create photomontages with a surreal approach to propose reflection on the incongruous nature of society, with special emphasis on the theme of the Body that we are.
Society is one of my sources of inspiration.
Ambiguity, contradiction, instability, accumulation, but also freedom and fluidity are the operative basis of my work, which invites us to change the world through self-knowledge, which is what makes humans more human, respectful and coherent with themselves, with each other and with the environment.
I am passionate about transforming inconsistencies in contemporary society into symbolic imagery processes.
Investigating the lack of meaning is my small, free and revolutionary act against the incoherent world in which we live.
Society, in my opinion, is a pit of bizarre artistic works waiting to be created. Therefore, I invent alternative narratives and absurd constructions as an antidote to the absurdity contained within them.
Dadaism, for example, questioned traditional social values through absurd artistic manifestations.
My training in painting is deeply influenced by my knowledge of art history. Regardless of the technology I use now, I am inspired by it. For example, Pablo Picasso used his work to highlight the realities of his time and draw attention to existing problems. Likewise, I intend for my research to be committed to today's social realities, evoking in a positive way what affects me and others within it.
Orlan, Hannah Wilk, and John Coplans, are some of theartists working on Body issues, who somehow inspire me.

The images I present are from a series, still ongoing, that is part of a project entitled, “Brief histories of the Body and its monsters”. This project has several series, the current one addressing the marginalization of older people.

I am currently experiencing the aging process and I understand what it means to grow old. I see that women's aging is different from men's. Society often views aging as unacceptable, leading many elderly people, especially women, to become slaves to forced youth in order to fit into the always-young pattern. This fear of aging stems from society's perception of the elderly as incapacitated. We must be able to freely choose, without coercion, how to react and continue with the natural aging process. After all, with luck, we'll all get old one day, right?

This series of works began by combining mouth, heat, ice and time, as natural signs of transformation, as basic as the thirst we all feel within us. These elements were metaphorically strong for my work, which then went from representing the mouth to representing the hand, as waiting signals, a phase of work in which it is still present.

I believe that art can play a crucial role as an agent of awareness and transformation in society. The artist's unique perspective can influence and change deeply held perceptions about any issues that affect us. People often feel distant from problems that do not have a direct impact on their lives, as is the case with the marginalization of the elderly. However, when these issues are highlighted artistically, they become more tangible and impactful, leading to reflection on the importance of combating this reality. This is my hope.

Biography

Mide Placido, born in 1957, is a visual artist based in Cantanhede/Coimbra, Portugal. He works in the conceptual area, mainly through photography and digital manipulation practices. She has a degree in Painting from EUAC (Escola Universitária das Artes de Coimbra) and studied as part of the Master's program in Contemporary Artistic Creation at the University of Aveiro.
The body and its understanding are central themes in her work. Her most recent practice explores issues of the body in relation to changes over time, such as aging.
Through her work, Mide Plácido aims to start discussions about the needs of all people and build positive visions that contribute to a fairer and more coherent society. She believes that artistic practice can create awareness. The experience of freedom intertwined with symbolic absurdity is the core of her scenarios and the starting point of her works.
Since 1998 she has exhibited regularly in Portugal and abroad, participating in individual and group shows.
In 2024, her work was selected for “Abstract Contemporary Art Magazine NY; as well as Halftone Magazine, in Macau/China;
She also participated in “Margens” resulting from Open Call, launched within the scope of the 7th International Film Festival, in partnership with Porto Femme and Mira Forum;
She Was part of the One Shot Award Longlist, BBA Gallery Berlin, 2024;
Between 2021 and 2023 she was a resident artist at Núcleo Contemporâneo. BR, which was part of two group exhibitions, entitled “Nós” and “Portátil.”, at Galeria Núcleo Contemporâneo, in Madrid;
In 2023 she exhibits individually, “Corpo Fluido”, a project that proposes an idea of a gendered body, free, playful and changeable as life is, at the independent gallery, Galeria Camponeza, Coimbra, Portugal;
In 2022, she exhibited individually “Sedução Mútua”. A project that questions women's bodies in relation to guilt. at Galeria Lapso, Setúbal, Portugal;
Between 2019 and 2020 she participated in the Blaue Stunde Video festival. All Stars, Koll, Germany;
In 2017 she exhibited individually “Je suis Io”, at Galerie Seidel, Koll,-Germany;
Between 2016 and 2017 she was a resident artist at Ci.clo-Plataforma de Fotografia where she develops the project ‘Grab Them by the Pussy’ which was part of an exhibition, among others, at the Centro Português de Fotografia, in Porto, Portugal; Fotofestiwal, in Lodz, Poland and School of Visual Arts, in New York, USA.
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In 1999 and 2001 she participated in the X and XI International Biennial of Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal.
In 1998 she was part of the collective exhibition at the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation, Vila Real – Portugal and won an honorable mention.
Her work is represented in several physical and online publications
http://mutante.pt/2016/06/ideias-inquietas-e-materia-agridoce-mide-placido/#.WRv62lPytE4.

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