Promises from Paradise: Igor Tavares & Rebeca Romero

Rebeca Romero (Born in Lima – lives and works in London) received an MFA in Fine Arts from Goldsmiths University of London (2020). Selected exhibitions include ’Bloomberg New Contemporaries’, Firstsite Colchester & South London Gallery, UK (2021), ‘Banho de prata’, aDrogaria, Portugal (2021), ‘The Obsolete in Reverse’ solo, Springseason Gallery, UK (2020), ‘London Grads Now,’ Saatchi Gallery, UK (2020), ‘Pou sou Nefko Pou Paeis’, Korai Project Space, Cyprus (2020) & ‘The one that’s always there, the one that came late, the one that never arrived, the one that wasn’t invited’, SB34-The Pool, Belgium (2019). Her text/sound work has been featured in platforms like New Writing with New Contemporaries, South London Gallery, UK (2022) and Future Artefacts, RTM.FM (2021) 

She has been recently awarded the Develop Your Creative Practice grant by the Arts Council of England.Romero’s multidisciplinary practice spans sculpture, ceramics, textile work, writing and performance. Through her work she explores concepts of diasporic identity, ‘truth’, ‘fiction’ and their relationship to the digital age. In an attempt to once again “turn the world upside down” she creates narratives, sounds and objects that challenge a too often imposed western version of history, reflect on the myth of ‘modernity’ and draft possible futures within an extremely globalised world.

Igor Tavares, known as Sphyfro, started his artistic journey as a self-taught illustrator, then, over several years, he became involved in different creative projects while also studying for and gaining a Foundation Degree in Animation and Illustration at Newcastle College, followed by a BA (Hons) Degree in Illustration at Newcastle College University Centre.

Igor is an artist who works across art forms; as a visual artist, and also through dance and performance, poetry and film. For him, the purpose of his artwork is that it should have the potential to incite change, both personally and for the audience. He uses abstraction as a way of exploring dimensions beyond the figurative, which open up to and express thoughts and lived experiences. This also leads him to use collage, a deliberate breaking of boundaries, and mixing of different images, items and techniques.

Igor continues to work professionally, establishing connections and collaborating through art, performance, and research with different artists across the UK.