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Biography

Simone Couto is a Brazilian-American artist whose interdisciplinary art practice draws on historical, geographical, and cultural references to explore how culture, identity, and environment intersect to shape lives. She typically works with soil as her primary medium, examining the physical and symbolic relationship between identity and landscape. She explores these concepts deeply, creating works that highlight their interplay. Examining themes of hospitality, reciprocity, and belonging, Couto's work shifts from the individual to the collective, walking paths, creating spaces, and documenting stories to later develop into multimedia installations. Ultimately, her pieces strive to gain insight into what it means to be human and to be part of a world that can be claimed with care.

Simone Couto Studied Theater at the University of Rio de Janeiro, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Arts from San Francisco State University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Art Practice from the School of Visual Arts. She has taken part in various residencies, including the International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP), the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art's (MASSMoCA) Museum Studios (twice), the NARS Foundation, and the Hafnarborg Museum of Fine Art in Iceland. Furthermore, she has served on the advisory panels for the New York Council for the Arts (NYSCA) Individual Artist Program, the Immigrant Artist Program of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), and the Artist Residency at The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASSMoCA). Couto has exhibited her artworks both nationally and internationally, including venues such as the Science Museum in Seoul, South Korea, and multiple installations in New York City, including PioneerWorks, The Invisible Dog Art Center, and Electronic Art Intermix (EAI). Her works are also featured in prestigious collections, including the New York Public Library. She is currently a Professor in the Fine Arts Department at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) and in the Department of Art and Design at ����vlog (MSU).

 

EDUCATION

MFA, Art Practice, School of Visual Arts, New York, New York

BFA, Creative Arts, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA; Magna Cum Laude; Dean's List all semesters

Theater Arts, University of Rio de Janeiro (Uni-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Arts Students League of New York

Technical High School in Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Technology, Center for Technological Education Celso Suckov da Fonseca (CEFET)

 

PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Now - 2019 - Faculty Member at the School of Visual Arts, New York, New York

Now - 2021 - Faculty Member at ����vlog, NJ

2020 - Curator-in-Residency at Juan Morel Campos Public High School, Brooklyn, New York

2019 - Visiting Art Critic at the School of Visual Arts, New York, New York

2019 - Visiting Art Critic at New Jersey City University, NJ

2019 - 2017 - Faculty Member at Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn, New York

2017 - 2014 - Guest Artist at Packer Collegiate Institute Annual Symposium, Brooklyn, New York

PROFESSIONAL ART PRACTICE EXPERIENCE

ADVISORY MENTORSHIP

2023 - 2026 - Mentoring for the MFA, Art Practice, School of Visual Arts, New York, New York

2023 - 2022 - Mentoring for the Immigrant Artist Program at the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), , New York, New York

2022 - 2021 - Member of the Individual Artists Advisory Panel of the New York Council for the Arts (NYSCA), New York, New York

2021 - 2019 - Member of the Individual Artists Advisory Panel for Studios at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA

2019 - 2014 - Co-Organizer of AnarkoLab Performance Arts Festival at the landmark Judson Memorial Church, New York, New York

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE/ GRANTS

2020:

NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, New York

Studios at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA

2018-2021:

International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP), Brooklyn, New York

Project Curate, NurtureArt Non-Profit, Brooklyn, New York

Studios at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA

Hafnarfjörður Center of Culture and Fine Art, Hafnarborg, Iceland

2016: Hemera's Contemplative Fellowship, Zen Mountain Monastery, Mount Tremper, New York

2013: Palazzo Rinaldi, Noepoli, Italy

BioArt Laboratory, School of Visual Arts, New York, New York

2009 and 2007: International Festival of Literature Paraty (FLIP), Poetry, Brazil

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

2021 - Mind Builders Art Center, Internship in Development, New York, New York

2022 - Helping Students in Distress  

2015 - Socratic Seminar

2015 - Mindfulness in the Classroom

2005 - Museo dos Trajes Textiles Intern, Lisbon, Portugal

2000 - Costume Restoration for San Francisco Opera

BUSINESS

2008-2004 - Founder and Creative Director of Floret L.L.C., N.Y.C., Design and Manufacture of Soft Toys and Children's Clothing distributed to 64 stores nationwide.

SOLO EXHIBITION

2021-Nowhere to Go But Everywhere. Site-Specific Installation. Commissioner: Berkshire Museum, MA, and Art

2018- Darkness Visible. Interdisciplinary Installation. El Museo De Los Sures. Brooklyn, New York

2014- Terra Firma. Interdisciplinary Installation. Momenta Art. Brooklyn, New York City

SITE-SPECIFIC EXHIBITIONS AND PERFORMANCES

2021 - Nowhere to Go But Everywhere: Site-Specific Installation. Commissioned by Berkshire Museum, MA, and Art Close to Home Organization at  Old Mill Trail, MA

2019 - 2 Large-Scale Murals: Public Art. Commissioned by the N.Y.C. Department of Transportation at Newkirk Plaza, Brooklyn, New York

2019 - 2x2: Solo Multimedia Performance Installation. Commissioned by La Nacional, New York, New York

2018 - Red: Performance. Commissioned by ISCP and Curated by Julie Horne Moller at ISCP, Brooklyn, New York

2018 - Grace and Gravity: Performance at Museo de Los Sures. Brooklyn, New York

2016 - DarknessVisible: Site-Specific Performance at  Þórsmörk National Park, Iceland

2015 - DarknessVisible: Site-Specific Performance at Þórsmörk National Park, Iceland

2013 - Santa Lucia: Site-specific Performance at Unesco Historical Well of Matera. Matera, Italy

2012 - Displaced: Site-Specific Performance at New York, New York

2012 - The Bear Mountain Project: Performance at Bare Mountain. New York

2011 - One Art — Arrivals and Departures: Private Installation Performance at Brooklyn, New York

COMMISSION

2021 - Nowhere to Go But Everywhere. Site-Specific Installation. Commissioner: Berkshire Museum, MA, and Art Close to Home Org., Old Mill Trail, MA

2019 - 2x2. Solo Multimedia Performance Installation. Commissioner: La Nacional, New York, New York

2019 - 2 Large-Scale Mural. Public Art. Commissioner: D.O.T. (N.Y.C. Department of Transportation). Newkirk Plaza, Brooklyn, New York

2018 - Red. Performance. Commissioner: ISCP. Curated by Julie Horne Moller. Brooklyn, New York

2015 - Solar Therapy: Video Screening. Commissioner: Laura F. Gibellini. El Museo De Los Sures. Brooklyn, New York

2010 - Large-Scale Mural. Public Art. Commissioner: D.O.T. (N.Y.C. Department of Transportation.  Dumbo, Brooklyn, New York

GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

2022 - The Sky is Higher Here at Transmitter Gallery, Brooklyn, New York

2021 - Art in the Time of Pandemic at the Brazilian Consulate in N.Y.C., New York

2020 - The Thing in Itself at NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, New York

2020 - The Union Square Show, Curated by Hayley Ferber, Michael Gormley, Priska Juschka, and Luciana Solano - New York, New York

2018 - Never Take a Vacation With an Artist Who Collects the Same Stuff at ISCP Gallery, Brooklyn, New York

2017 - Nature Attuned: Simone Couto and Lina Puerta, Curated by Sarah Crown at The Yard Gallery, New York, New York

2018 - About Me at Millepiani Exhibition Space, Rome, Italy

2017 - UprRoot, Curated by Donna Cleary and Tiffany Smith at Periphery Space Gallery, RI

2017 - ACT I, Curated by Dawn Breeze and Kristen Dodge at SEPTEMBER Gallery, Hudson,New York

2017 - Six Degrees at Project 151, Brooklyn, New York

2016 - BioArt Seoul Group Exhibition at Gwacheon National Science Museum, Korea

2016 - The Zen Mountain Monastery Art Event Sharing at Mount Tremper, New York

2016 - Thinking with Our Hands at RabbitHole Projects Gallery, Brooklyn, New York

2016 - X N.Y.C. Anarchist Festival at Judson Memorial Church, New York, New York

2016 - Observatory of Senses Collective Performance Led by Couto at Packer Observatory, Brooklyn, New York

2015 - Solar Therapy: Video Screening Commissioned by Laura F. Gibellini at El Museo De Los Sures, Brooklyn, New York

2015 - IX NYC Anarchist Festival at Judson Memorial Church, New York, New York

2015 - Highways and Rest Stops: Passages in Current Practices at Visual Arts Chelsea Gallery, New York, New York 2014 - VideoOver: Season 9, Curated by JaeWook Lee at NurtureArt Gallery, Brooklyn, New York

2014 - LODO Plataforma Festival, Screening the Films Água and Terra Firma in Buenos Aires, Argentina

2014 - K-tanglement, a Project by Marcos Lutyens in New York, New York

2014 - Community board, Curated by Jovana Stokic at Glasshouse ArtLife, Brooklyn, New York

2013 - Current Practice, Curated by Hesse McGraw at The Invisible Dog Art Center, Brooklyn, New York

2013 - MoMA Pop Rally: Abstract Currents. Interactive Video Event at MoMA, New York, New York

2013 - Ecstasy/Apocalypse, Curated by Thyrza Goodeve at Visual Arts Gallery, New York, New York

2013 - Frequency Response @ Electronic Arts Intermix, New York, New York

2013 - Unseen Realities, Curated by Richard Brooks at Visual Arts Gallery, New York, New York

2013 - Everything Digital, Curated by Erik Guzman and Suzanne Anker at Visual Arts Gallery, New York

2012 - Collective Exhibition at the Mexican Embassy in Washington, DC

2012 - Governor's Island Art Fair Exhibition, New York, New York

2012 - Collective Exhibition at Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery, New York, New York

CURATORSHIP

2019 - (Im)perfection at NurtureArt Gallery, Brooklyn, New York

2019-2015 - ANARKOLAB Performance Festival at Judson Memorial Church, New York

2014 - When All Things Evaporate, We'll Talk About Minerals (Collaboration with JaeWook Lee) at Pioneer Works, Brooklyn, New York

2014 - Terra Firma at Momenta Art Gallery, Brooklyn, New York

BIBLIOGRAPHY

2021 - Curatorial essay by Denise Carvalho for Steel Jackdaw Arts Magazine Edition 4

2019 - Art Forum, Summer 2019, Volume 57, No. 10, page 290

2019 - Hyperallergic, "An Elegant Swansong at Brooklyn's NurtureArt."

2019 - BTRToday, interview with Simone Couto

2019 - MID Arts and Museum Magazine, Denmark

2018 - Darkness Visible, a 120-page documentation of Couto's work and engagement with the Landscape in Iceland, Hardcover 2018 - Horsens Folkblad Newspaper, Denmark

2018 - Arthurious.com, ISCP 2018

2018 - Curatorial essay by Sarah Crown, Darkness Visible Press Release

2017 - Curatorial essay by Sofia Fernandez, Darkness Visible in Darkness Visible, Blurb

2014 - When All Things Evaporate, We'll Talk About Minerals, Blurb

2014 - Curatorial essay by Denise Carvalho in When All Things Evaporate We'll Talk About Minerals, Rhodium 2014 - Curatorial essay by Jovana Stokic in When All Things Evaporate We'll Talk About Minerals, Rhodium Publications

2007 - Poem "Boca" at Magazine Carioca, Rio de Janeiro