Svenja Tiger is a visual and textile artist, costume designer, and performer. In her practice, she explores themes tied to personal and cultural mythology, fictional narratives, science fiction, and more. Her research investigates how private narratives are deeply rooted in ancient storytelling and folklore, and how, conversely, these traditions reveal intimate stories about ourselves. Her work revolves around exploring places and uncovering hidden structures, creatures, and phenomena, seeking to understand physical existence and life through their interactions with invisible forces that connect them to their environments and realities.
Tiger works across various media, including installation, photography, drawing, and performance. She believes that collaboration with other artists is essential for growth and learning. Her primary medium for experimentation is textiles though, through which she examines how the ongoing use and reuse of materials can serve as a reflection of the self, while their transformation and reconfiguration offer a mirror to social and ecological issues.
contact: tiger.svenja@gmail.com
CV
between 2018 to 2020 external consultor for the company Quaternaire Portugal – Consultoria Para O Desenvolvimento, S.a. researching and advicing on content related to Masks, Ritual and Carnival Arts.
EDUCATION
2017-
2020
Master in Fine Arts in FBAUP, Porto, Portugal.
2013-
2017
Bachelor in Costume Design in ESMAE, Porto, Portugal.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2024
Individual exhibiton Lucid Dreams of a Static Beast at MUPI GALLERY, Porto, Portugal
Individual exhibiton Admire the predator when the Wild arrives at DENTRO, Porto, Portugal
2023
Group exhibition and performance Conversation among animals Museu como Performance in Fundação Serralves, Portugal.
Group exhibition WIRELESS in Bienal textil of Poznan in Poznan, Poland.
Group exhibiton Malva with collective SIROCO in O Museu de Lanifícios, Portugal.
Group exhibition Cortex Frontal in Plato Gallery, Évora, Portugal.
Group exhibition Intelecto Agente in Grémio dos Operários, Coimbra, Portugal.
Group exhibition Drink me in Atelier Logicofobista, Porto, Portugal.
2022
Solo exhibition Celebrating Mistery in Heimabyggd, Ísafjörður, Iceland
Solo exhibition NUME in Rua das Gaivotas 6, Lisbon, Portugal
Group exhibition Bienal de Vila Nova de Cerveira XXII, Cerveira, Portugal
Solo exhibition Solvitur Ambulando in Galeria Vitrina, Espaço FISGA, Porto, Portugal
2021
Participation in group exhibition and community project for Bienal de Maia 2021, Maia, Portugal
Selection for the exhibition ANUÁRIO 20, Armazém do Fundo, Porto, Portugal
Individual exibition Unearthy but Human, Unhuman but Earthy in Galeria do Sol, Porto, Portugal
2020
Virtual exhibition Labirinto cá fora, Labirinto cá dentro na Galeria ADENTRO, Porto, Portugal
Individual exibition Extinção de um Planeta in Galeria Geraldes da Silva, Porto, Portugal
Virtual exhibition A U M in colab with Irina Pereira (Oficina Arara) for Loading Fest, Porto, Portugal
Individual exhibition Terra em Vénus in Galeria Cozinha, FBAUP, Porto, Portugal
Collaboration for the exhibition Offside Paradise do José Oliveira, Espaço MIRA, Porto, Portugal.
2019
Exhibition BAHAMUT in colab with Polliana Dalla Barba and Kaue Gindri in Galeria Rua do Sol, Porto, Portugal
Colective Exhibition Uma noite de verão in Via Aberta in Mota Galiza, Porto, Portugal
Group exhibition MINI:MAL in NAGA Gallery, Poland
Exhibition Monsieur Mercury in collaboration with Francisco Babo in HomeAlone, Clermont-Ferrand, France
2018
Collective exhibition XX Bienal de Vila Nova de Cerveira
Performance with WINDHUND at XX Bienal de Vila Nova de Cerveira,Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal
RESIDENCIES
2023
Artistic Residency in Adega (Associação Pele) em Azevedo, Porto.
Artistic Residency on Tufting in Cortex Frontal, Arraiolos, Portugal.
2022
Artistic Residency in Silo – Arte e Latitude Rural, Brazil
Artistic Residency in ArtsIceland, Ísafjörður, Iceland
Artistic Residency in tapestry with Guida Fonseca at CORTEX FRONTAL, Arraiolos, Portugal
Artistic Residency in screen printing with Alexandra Rafael and Tómaz at Oficina MESCLA, Porto, Portugal
2021
Artistic Residency in the format of Serviço de Emergências 2021 Teatro de Ferro 2021, Porto, Portugal
2019
Artistic Residency in HomeAlone in Clermont-Ferrand, France
2018
Artistic Residency in Vila Nova de Cerveira in CASA DO ARTISTA
Artistic Residency in Casa da Imagem in Santo Antão in Cabo Verde
COLLABORATIONS
2024
Frente-a-Frente from Inês Campus e Vahan Kerovpya at CAMPUS, Espaço do Tempo e Cultura em Expansão.
Micélio from Costanza Givone at Auditório de Gaia, Teatro Campo Alegre, CRL e Moita.
Garden/ Jardim in collaboration with Joana Magalhães and Ines Malheiro at CAMPUS.
Hosting in Duo in colab with Francisco Babo for Cabaré Brutal #5, Portugal.
2023
Between Oasis and horizonte for the programe Cultura em Expansão
2022
Costume (Jellyfish) for premiere of the LP Habitat by Angelica Salvi.
Mask and Costume for the movie Clandestino by Maria Mire.
Creation and concept of masks for the movie Fosfeno by Miguel Filgueiras.
Collaboration with CedofeitaVintage; textil intervention.
Hosting in Duo in colab with Francisco Babo for Cabaré Brutal #4, Portugal and Brazil.
2021
Presentation of the piece Linhas Nómadas in a Work-in-process for FIMP (Festival Internacional de Marionetas), 2021, Porto, Portugal
Performance with Windhunde for the CQNE (Concerts that never existed), Douro River, Portugal
Performance-Presenter for Cabaré Brutal#3, Auditório CCOP Porto, Portugal
2020
Performance-Presenter in duet with Francisco Babo for Cabaré Brutal#2, Porto, Portugal
2019
Performance-Presenter in duet with Francisco Babo for Cabaré Brutal#1, Porto, Portugal
2018
Performance Espirito Continuum in colab with Kaue Gindri and Francisco Babo as WINDHUNDE presented in the 20th Bienal de Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal
2017
Costume/Set Design and assistance in artistic direction for the piece “Das Narrenschyff” by Hierominosch Bosch in colab with Bertrand Chavarría-Aldrete presented Teatro Rivoli, Porto, Portugal
SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS
Shuttle 21 – AGORAPORTO
Program for the internationialization of artists, Porto, 2022
Prémio de Aquisição in Bienal de Vila Nova de Cerveira XXII
Anuário 20, Porto, 2021
PUBLICATIONS
Admire the predator (risography), 2024
Edited by TinaSiuda.
Anuário (catalog), 2023
Retrospective Exhibition of artistic anual activity in Porto.
Bienal of Textile Art in Póznan (catalog), 2023
Bienal of Textile Art.
Yuzin Azores (Fanzine), 2022
Cultural Agenda of Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores.
Bienal de VNCXXII (catalog), 2022
Bienal de Arte contemporânea.
Lapin-Canard éditions (poster), 2022
Poster comissioned by Lapin-Canard éditions, Paris, France.
Holy Vulcanos/ Holy Faces (silc screen poster), 2022
Edited by Oficina Mescla.
Oficina Mescla (catalog), 2022
Artistic Residency in Printmaking.
Fascículo #1 (jornal), 2022
With text by Irina Pereira,
edited and comissioned by Paralaxe.
Bienal da Maia ÁGORA (catalog), 2021
Bienal de Arte contemporânea.
Lamparina #1 (catalog), 2021
Edition from the colective Rua do Sol about past exhibitions in Galeria do Sol.
Anuário 20 (catalog), 2021
Exposition that reflects about artistic envolvement in the last year.
COLLABORATORS
Kauê Gindri
Francisco Babo
Irina Pereira
Clélia Colonne
Costanza Givone
Inês Campos
Angelica Salvi
Miguel Felgueiras
Bertrand Chavarria-Aldrete
Maria Miguel
Ana Rita Xavier
Polliana Dalla Barba
Ece Canlı
Maria Mire
José Oliveira
Margarida Lopes Fernandes
Mercedes Vidal-Abarca
Diogo Ramalho
Leonor Parda
Lucie Fortuin