KW Institute for Contemporary Art is a place in Berlin where artists, institutions, and people come together to share ideas, discuss social and political issues, and experience art. We have exhibition halls, apartments, offices, event spaces, and a café, and work with partners around the world.

KW is showing the exhibition called Estufa. Estufa is Portuguese and means ‘greenhouse’. This is the first survey exhibition of the artist Luiz Roque. On show are artworks from different periods of his career.

Luiz Roque was born in Brazil in 1979. His work mixes different art forms, such as video installation, sculptural elements and ceramic works. Luiz Roque is interested in many themes. These themes are also part of his art: architecture of the 1950s until the 1970s in Brazil, queer politics, and science-fiction.

Luiz Roque’s videos are filmed and shown in many ways. Some videos are projected onto screens, others are played on old television sets. In Luiz Roque’s video installations, the arrangement, or choice of material is just as important as the content. In his videos, Luiz Roque plays with time. It is often not clear when the events in the video take place.

Often, his works are about the wishes and demands of people and groups of people in Brazil, in relation to their position in society. Some of his videos seem like eerie dreams. Similar moods can also be found in his work with ceramics.

The exhibition at KW covers 20 years of Luiz Roque’s work. He made one video installation and several ceramic works especially for this exhibition. A book that shows more about Luiz Roque’s work has been published alongside the exhibition.

– Look at the buildings and landscapes in Roque’s films: What moods do they create, what emotions do they trigger?

– What future scenarios can you recognize in Roque’s works? What kind of worlds are the films set in? What has happened or become important there?

– Choose three video works in the exhibition. Who is the main character in each work? What can you find out about them?