Biography

Carlos Carima (b. Angola) is a contemporary painter and performance artist based in Germany, living and working between Cologne and Duisburg. Recognized as a vital voice in the contemporary art scene, Carima was nominated for the prestigious "Junge Positionen NRW" art prize (2025) by the Künstlerzeche Unser Fritz 2/3. He graduated with honors in painting from the University of Fine Arts (HBK) Essen and was awarded the Federal Ministry of Education and Research's Deutschlandstipendium scholarship.

Carima’s practice focuses on figurative representations of abstract Black bodies, pioneering a new tradition of Black Magical Realism. Moving beyond mere representation, his vibrant canvases serve as intermediaries between ancestral realms and earthly reality—retrieved from internal visual archives and family albums, and resurrected on canvas. Amidst contemporary political urgency, Carima’s latest work explores the concept of "siblings" beyond traditional bloodlines, examining chosen communities, deep friendships, and safe spaces as vital support systems of clarity, dignity, and radical belonging.

His multidisciplinary approach bridges fine art, experimental performance, and elite institutional mediation. Carima collaborates extensively with leading global and national cultural institutions; he serves as a Mediator for Manifesta 16 and is invited by premier art centers and museums across Germany—including the Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Berlin), Museum Ludwig (Cologne), Museum Folkwang (Essen), and the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum (RJM, Cologne). His institutional practice spans across acclaimed experimental performances, specialized art education programs, and panel discussions, such as the Black Pott Stories artist talks at PACT Zollverein.