assume vivid astro focus (avaf) is a collaboration that is made up of Eli Sudbrack (b. 1968, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Christophe Hamaide-Pierson (b. 1973, Paris, France). It also refers to a collective of international visual and performance artists.
avaf works in a variety of mediums including drawing, sculpture, video, and performance to create captivating and imaginative pieces that call for endless visual and aural exploration. AVAF works heavily through collaborations with musicians, dancers, designers, and other artists, challenging the conventions of authorship and artist personas. Their works are rooted in themes of free speech, civil rights, class, gender, and national identity.
avaf has had recent solo exhibitions at Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York (2021), The Suzanne Geiss Company, NYC (2014), LIGHTBOX, Miami (2011), MOCA Cleveland (2010), The National Museum of Art, Oslo, Norway (2010), among many others. In November 2011 they collaborated with Lady Gaga and Nicola Formichetti for GAGA’s WORKSHOP at Barney’s New York. Sudbrack lives and works between Sao Paulo and New York, and Hamaide-Pierson lives and works in Paris.
RxART worked with avaf to install their colorful, lively work in the waiting area of Metropolitan Hospital Center‘s La Clinica del Barrio in Harlem, NY. avaf also did a project for the cafeteria at the Special Children’s Center in Lakewood, NJ where they installed their vibrant artwork, “Antes Vulgar Agora Fino”.