Janina McQuoid: A Smile Is a Sword

Janina McQuoid (b. 1989, São Paulo) presents for her first solo show a series of works in works with hand cut foam that take over the gallery space creating a familiar but estranging environment, as the material takes different shapes and becomes a hybrid between sculpture and furniture, artwork and object.

In the attempt to control a material that doesn’t want to be controlled and cut perfect shapes into it, the artist turns to words and explores the field of neologisms and language. All the perfection that one should expect from the cuts, McQuoid delivers playing with words that express discipline, control and behaviour. For the artist, the material, its colour, its shape, its softness, seems to be like something extremely human, therefore needing language to communicate with the viewer; yet, at the same time, its ultimate means of communication isn’t language but materiality, feel and sense.

Janina McQuoid graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Visual and Critical Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She participated in the exhibitions: “On Going, FB Gallery (New York, 20120; “Arte Londrina” 1 and 2, Universidade Estadual de Londrina – Casa de Cultura (Paraná, 2013), and was given an Honorable Mention award for the former; “III Concurso Itamaraty de arte Contemporânea”, Palácio Itamaraty (Brasília, 2014), receiving the acquisition-prize and becoming part of the collection of the Ministry of Public Relations in Brazil; “La Usurpadora”, Abrazo Interno Gallery (New York, 2014); “Correspondências: Janina McQuoid e Leonardo Stroka”, Epicentro Cultural (São Paulo, 2014); “desdobras”, Casa do Cactus (São Paulo, 2014); “Programa de Exposições”, MARP – Museu de Arte de Ribeirão Preto (São Paulo, 2015). In 2015 she participated in the group exhibition “SMASH” at Boatos Fine Art Gallery.