Von Calhau! : PHANTOM BLOT BACK TO ATTACK

11 Jan-10 Feb 2018

Overview

For over a decade, Marta Ângela and João Artur have been collaborating under the (shifting) name of Von Calhau! (also known as Calhau or von Calhau, among others). Recalling this elusive signature, the duo’s practice flows between different formats and media, being mostly recognised by their sound and moving image installations as well as their performances. In PHANTOM BLOT BACK TO ATTACK the duo focuses on the idea-image-object of the Black Blob, mixing references such as a 1980s Lisbon suburb graffiti – which is still visible today – the Walt Disney character Phantom Blot, and the inflatable object Von Calhau! use during some of their performances to scare the audience away. From a black blob to a ghost figure and back again the show designs eerie relationships between solid and gas-like states, using materials such as air or plastics while employing concepts such as empty or full among other ambivalent tools.