René Tavares (b. 1983, Sao Tomé-et-Principe) lives and works between Sao Tome and Lisbon.
René Tavares is a multi-disciplinary artist. He graduated from the Fine Arts school in Dakar, Senegal. He obtained a scholarship for the Fine Arts school in Rennes and took photography lessons by the ARC/Rennes project.
His works express his own experience of emigration and contemporary relocation in a postcolonial context.
"In my work, form colors and writings are the most important aspects. Each painting is a mixture of impulses which are important to me and I try to transform them into a personal perception, a definitive form, a personal message. My paintings are both monochrome and colorful, but also minimal and intense. They highlight the presence of Tchiloli. All these aspects are the secret to my success, as they open dialog, favor harmony between people and cultures", explains René Tavares while talking about his artistic approach.
He has already exhibited in several cities like Paris, Bordeaux, Amsterdam, Brussels, Luanda and Lisbon. René Tavares participated in the « Africa Now » exhibition, organized by the World Bank in Washington in 2008. Six years later, he exhibited at the Biennale Architettura of Venice for the Ilhas de Sao Jorge, project of the Beyond Entropy organization.