assume vivid astro focus

assume vivid astro focus is comprised of Eli Sudbrack (b. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1968) and Christophe Hamaide-Pierson (b. Paris, France, 1973). The two artists work independently under the avaf alias but also join forces occasionally. Sometimes they morph into a collective as well, depending on the different projects they are involved in. Sudbrack lives and works between São Paulo and New York. Hamaide-Pierson lives and works in Paris. Along the years they have worked worldwide with a wide variety of professionals (musicians, architects, performers, fashion designers, graffiti artists, etc). The idea of working under a pseudonym is a fundamental part of their process of working “collectively": everybody becomes one under the alias “avaf”, including the public. Being inclusive is a foundational core belief.

Color has always been a central feature in their projects. They have used color as a communication tool to awe and engage the public using color (and scale) to fully envelop the viewer and make them one with the surrounding environment. In their projects, the public is always centerpiece. They use color as a universal language and as a conduit of energy. Color functions then as a unifying force: between people and between people and space/architecture. Color brings people together and is inclusive, not exclusive. Color can transmit joy and hope and therefore color can be used as a healing tool.

Besides energizing the viewer, their intention is also to energize architecture. And to connect them both. Their large scale/public projects embody, in this way, the ultimate sense of the word “Gesamtkunstwerk” (“total work of art”): unrestricted by the limitations of an art gallery/museum, we are able, in the public sphere, to reach out to a wider audience, often a viewer who otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to art. And by doing this they are able to re-imagine art as a social project.

avaf has been the subject of major exhibitions and public art projects around the world. These include MAM (Museu de Arte Moderna), São Paulo, Brazil (2022); Thailand Biennale, Korat, Thailand (2021); Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York, USA (2021); Lanterna Mágica, São Paulo, Brasil (2021); MUBE (Museu Brasileiro de Escultura e Ecologia), São Paulo, Brasil (2020); CCCSP (Centro Cultural São Paulo), São Paulo, Brasil (2019); Storage by Hyundai Card, Seoul, South Korea (2019); Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, Denmark (2019); Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, USA (2019); Kunstverein Harburger Banhoff, Hamburg, Germany (2019); MATE, Lima, Peru (2017); The Faena Art Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2014) and Miami (2017); Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Santa Barbara, USA (2016); Sammlung Goetz, Munich, Germany (2016); Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, USA (2015); The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, Norway (2009); São Paulo Bienal, São Paulo, Brazil (2008); Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA (2008); Museum of Contemporary Art (MOT), Tokyo, Japan (2007); 1st Athens Biennale, Athens, Greece (2007); The Geffen Contemporary (MoCA), Los Angeles, USA (2005); The Whitney Biennial, New York, USA (2004); among others. avaf was a finalist for the art prize Prêmio Pipa 2018.