Born in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), based in Rio de Janeiro.
While school is the privileged place of education and promises bright prospects for the future, for many it turns out to be the primary experience of symbolic violence and systemic discrimination. Far from being a neutral environment where learning is simply a thirst for knowledge and teaching a pure desire to pass on information, the classroom is permeated by the socio-economic and cultural dynamics of society.
Artist and teacher Andréa Hygino's artistic practice involves a critical examination of the school system and the teaching methods that sustain it. Keen to archive them, she traces the lingering traces of colonialism and fragments of emancipation inscribed in both furniture and bodies. In each educational mechanism, she dissects the arrangements that structure the transmission of knowledge, reproduce social disparities, and spark the first rebellions.
Inspired by the repetition that underlies all learning, Andréa Hygino prints, reproduces, and multiplies the anarchic engravings carved by students, testimony of a discussion parallel to the “official” lesson. The desk, epitome of passivity forcing bodies into obedience, becomes a place for anonymous grievances: indiscipline becomes a prerequisite for independent thinking, inattentiveness an escape from the dominant discourse. School can thus become a powerhouse of transformative energy, where students take part, commune, and nourish their bodies and minds.
Written by Juliette Gaufreteau.
As part of the France-Brazil Season 2025, Artistes en résidence and Silo - Arte e latitude rural are joining forces to welcome visual artists Clara Denidet (FR) and Andréa Hygino (BR). While Andréa Hygino's work questions the place of individuals in normative educational systems, notably marked by colonialism and classism, Clara Denidet explores the transmission of gestures and know-how as tools for shared commons. During an initial residency in Serrinha do Alambari (Brazil) in the fall of 2025, followed by a second residency in Clermont-Ferrand (France) in the spring of 2026, the two artists will be able to immerse themselves in contrasting geographical, ecological, sociological, and economic realities. These periods of experimentation, research, and exchange will provide an opportunity to grasp the sensitive and conceptual issues involved in the interactions between the communities that inhabit the urban fabric and the protected rural areas of each country, from the Puy-de-Dôme volcanic chain to the Mantiqueira mountains.
This residency is part of the France-Brazil Season 2025 and is supported by the City of Clermont-Ferrand, the Ministry of Culture / DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Trampoline. The participation of Clara Denidet is enabled by Trampoline, association in support of the French art scene, Paris
The Season is organized and implemented by the Institut français with the support of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the French Embassy in Brazil, and the French Commissariat headed by Ms. Anne Louyot.