Background & Education

Januario Jano was born in Luanda, Angola. He graduated with honors in Design Studies from London Metropolitan University and holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Goldsmiths University (2020). Currently, he splits his time and work between London, Madrid, Luanda and Lisbon.

Artistic Practice

He is an interdisciplinary visual artist who works across sculpture, video, photography, textile, sound installation, and performance, with a substantially research-based practice.

Enthralled with the hypothesis of a delicate balance between fiction and reality, his practice reflects on ideas of home and self, constantly challenging historic and contemporary narratives within the context of the growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations.

He reflects on issues of displacement, the body, materiality, historical memory, and environmental concerns, discovering alternative approaches to traditional views and concepts.

Notable Projects

One standout work is Sonic Border, developed during his residency at Deveron Projects. Sonic Border is a cartographic soundscape tracing (and imagining) the journey of non-humans — birds, plants, animals — from the Global South to Northern Europe, with a particular interest in the common swift population that migrates between the Congo Basin and Huntly, Scotland. Through this work, the artist examined the conditions of migration, assimilation, displacement, and its dynamism, suggesting sound as a form of seeing.

Awards & Recognition

His awards include an Honorary Mention for the Queen Sonja Print Award in Oslo, Norway; the Norval Sovereign African Art Prize in Cape Town, South Africa; and the Laguna Art Prize in Business for Art, Venice, Italy. He has also received an art residence grant from QSPA 2022 and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

International Exhibitions & Biennials

Some of the recent biennials in which he has participated include the 35th São Paulo Biennial in Brazil; the BIENALSUR — Look at me! in Paris, France; and Ozangé — Biennial of African Photography in Malaga, Spain. He has participated in art fairs such as Artissima in Torin, Miart in Milan,1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London and New York, ARCO Lisboa, SP Art Fair in Sao Paulo, Dubai Art Fair and Cape Town Art Fair, among others.

Collections

His work is held in prestigious collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, the Marino Golinelli Collection in Italy, the Taguchi Art Collection in Japan, the Damian Grieder Collection in Switzerland, Oketa Collection in Japan, Blachere Foundation in France and the Portuguese National Archive, among others.

Cultural & Social Engagement

His strong commitment to artistic and sociocultural development of his native country led him to launch initiatives in Angola, such as the Pés Descalços collective, aimed at promoting artistic and cultural projects, and since 2012 TEDxLuanda, which he organizes and curates.

Januario Jano is widely regarded as one of Angola’s most dynamic and internationally recognised contemporary artists, with a practice that bridges continents, histories, and disciplines.

Januario Jano’s practice reflects on the ideas of home and self, constantly challenging the norms through explorations of historic and contemporary narratives within the context of the growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations.

Enthralled with the hypothesis of a delicate balance between fiction and reality, galvanised to explore the relationship between humans and non-humans in time and space. In this context, the role of the body is pivotal, and its multidimensional representation occurs within the framework of proverbial globalisation and cross-cultural interaction.

Research has always been a core element of Jano’s practice. It is essential not only for the development of theoretical ideas that underpin his practice, but also for the thorough selection of material, and texture of each work. Januario tends to start new projects not with a strictly defined narrative, but rather with an idea that can stretch to accommodate future adjustments and reflections. Furthermore, he is intrigued by the possibility of genuine interaction that each piece may have with the audience. The element of spontaneity and rawness is deliberately built into his work to allow for discovery, and this renders the work multilayered and multiphasic.