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Marcela Cantuária (b. 1991, Rio de Janeiro; lives and works in Rio de Janeiro) is an artist whose practice is grounded in the construction of visual narratives that recover stories of resistance, particularly those led by women and popular movements from the Global South. With vibrant colors and an aesthetic that moves between the tradition of historical painting and contemporary visual culture, her work proposes counter-narratives to colonialism and patriarchy, re-signifying images and symbols often erased by official history.

Graduated in Painting from the School of Fine Arts at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (EBA-UFRJ), Cantuária develops a research-based practice that articulates politics, spirituality, and activism. While painting is at the core of her work, her practice expands into other media, such as murals, textile installations, and ceramic pieces, reinforcing her commitment to reinventing artistic tradition.

Her iconography is marked by the presence of symbols such as tarot and astrology, combined with emblems of Latin American resistance, reflecting her interest in the power of images to shape social imaginaries.

Her works are part of the collections of institutions such as the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), the Rio Art Museum (MAR), the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), and the Museu da Maré. She has also participated in artist residencies in Portugal, France, Spain, the United States, Mexico, and Brazil — experiences that expanded her practice and deepened her investigations into the relationship between art, politics, and memory.

Committed to art as a tool for social transformation, her work — both lyrical and confrontational — projects images of possible worlds, creating space for insurgent narratives and reaffirming the power of art in the symbolic struggle of the present time.

Photo: Priscilla Haefeli/CLAUDIA

 

Solo Exhibitions

2024

_Propostas de Reencantamento
Curated by Aldones Nino | SESC Birigui
São Paulo, Brazil

_Boca da Noite
Curated by Ana Clara Simões Lopes | Cerrado Galeria
Brasília, Brazil

_Transmutação: alquimia e resistência
Curated by Aldones Nino and Andressa Rocha | Paço Imperial
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2023
_Ocultas Marés: Ana Silva & Marcela Cantuária
Curated by Raquel Barreto | A Gentil Carioca
São Paulo, Brazil

_Bestiário
Curated by Inês Valle | Palácio do Grilo
Lisbon, Portugal

_The South American Dream
Curated by Jennifer Inacio | Pérez Art Museum Miami
Miami, United States

2022

_ La invocación del pasado a la velocidad del ahora

Curated by Aldones Nino | CentroCentro

Madrid, Spain

2021

_ Esperança Equilibrista

Curated by Ademar Britto | Caixa de Pandora

São Paulo, Brazil

2020

_ Figurar o impossível

Curated by Joyce Delfim | Palácio das Artes

Belo Horizonte, Brazil

2019

_ Sutur|ar Libert|ar

Curated by Joyce Delfim | Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

_ La larga noche de los 500 años

Curated by Aldones Nino | A Gentil Carioca

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

_ Castelos no Ar

Galeria AlfineteBrasilia, Brazil

2017

_ Lampejos

Galeria Macunaíma, EBA/UFRJ

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

2013

_ Impulsos

Espaço Vórtice, EBA/UFRJ

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Group Exhibitions

2025
_Imensuráveis
Curated by Aldones Nino | Instituto Inclusartiz
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2024/2025
_Nós – Arte e Ciência por Mulheres
Curated by Estúdio M’Baraká [Isabel Seixas, Letícia Stallone, Diogo Rezende] | Futuros – Arte e Tecnologia
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

_Dona Fulô e Outras Joias Negras
Curated by Carol Barreto, Eneida Sanches, and Marília Panitz | Museu de Arte Contemporânea, BA
Salvador, Brazil

_Histórias LGBTQIA+
Curated by Adriano Pedrosa and Julia Bryan-Wilson | Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP)
São Paulo, Brazil

2024
_Sol Fulgurante: arquivos de vida e resistência
Curated by Lorraine Mendes | Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo
São Paulo, Brazil

_Hackeando o Poder
Curated by Carollina Lauriano | Museu da República
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

_Corpo Botânico
Curated by Vicente de Mello | Pavilhão Victor Brecheret - Parque da Catacumba
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2023
_CœurCarioca
Curated by Hugo Vitrani | Galerie Crèvecœur
Paris, France

_FUNK: Um grito de ousadia e liberdade
Curated by the MAR team with Taísa Machado and Dom Filó, and consulting by Deize Tigrona, Celly IDD, Tamiris Coutinho, Glau Tavares, Sir Dema, GG Albuquerque, Marcelo B Groove, Leo Moraes, and Zulu TR | Museu de Arte do Rio
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

_I Bienal das Amazônias
Curated by Keyna Eleison, Sandra Benites, and Vânia Leal
Belém, Brazil

_Carolina Maria de Jesus: Um Brasil para os brasileiros
Curated by Hélio Menezes and Raquel Barreto | Museu de Arte do Rio
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

_Rêver La Terre
Curated by Pietro De Biase and Aldones Nino | Espace Frans Krajcberg
Paris, France

2022

_ Essa minha letra: Lima Barreto e os Modernismos Negros

Curated by Jaime Lauriano, Lilia Schwarcz and Pedro Meira  | Museu da História e Cultura Afro-Brasileira

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

_ Espelho Labirinto

Curated by Vicente de Mello and Aldones Nino | Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil

Brasília, Brazil

2021

_ Acervo em transformação

Curated by Tomás Toledo | Museu de Arte de São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil

_ Imagens que não se conformam

Curated by Marcelo Campos and Paulo Knauss | Museu de Arte do Rio

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

_ Crônicas Cariocas

Curated by Marcelo Campos, Amanda Bonan, Luiz Antônio Simas and Conceição Evaristo | Museu de Arte do Rio

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

_ Bum-bum Paticumbum Prugurundum

A Gentil Carioca

São Paulo, Brazil

2019

_ Passeata

Curated by Isabel Portella | Galeria Simone Cadinelli

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

_ Vivendo sob o fogo

Curated by Yago Toscano | Centro Cultural da Justiça Federal

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

_ Histórias feministas

Curated by Isabella Rjeille | Museu de Arte de São Paulo

São Paulo, Brazil

_ Estratégias do Feminino

Curated by Fabrícia Jordão, Daniela Thomas, Helena Severo and Rita Sepulveda | Farol Santander

Porto Alegre, Brazil

 

2018

_ Junho de 2013 – 5 anos depois

Curated by Daniele Machado and Gabriela Lúcio | Centro Municipal de Arte Hélio Oiticica

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

_ A/FRONT/A

Curated by Ana Elisa Lidizia and Jacqueline Melo | Espaço Piloto UnB

Brasília, Brazil

_ Agora é que são elas

Curated by Luisa Duarte and Pollyana Quintella | UNIBES cultural

São Paulo, Brazil

_ Crônicas urgentes

Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel

São Paulo, Brazil

 

_ Somos muitxs

Curated by Bernardo Mosqueira | Solar dos Abacaxis

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

2017

_ IV Bienal da Escola de Belas Artes

Museu Nacional de Belas Artes

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

2015

_Pintura contemporânea EBA

Colégio Brasileiro de Altos Estudos

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2014

_Que safra é essa

Museu Calouste Gulbenkian

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

2013

_ Imaginação e formaUFRJ

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Education

2010 - 2017

_ Bacharelado em Pintura pela Escola de Belas Artes

EBA /UFRJ

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Art Residency

2019

_ Kaaysa Art Residency

EBA /UFRJ

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

_ PAOS GDL

Guadalajara, Mexico

2018

_ Solar dos Abacaxis

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

 

2014

_ Zona autônoma temporária – Ludus Naturale

Casa Pop-Up Kolor

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Collections

_Collection of Museu da Maré
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

_Collection of Museu de Arte de São Paulo
São Paulo, Brazil

_Collection of Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo
São Paulo, Brazil

_Collection of Pérez Art Museum Miami
Miami, United States

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