Maranhão-born artist Silvana Mendes has been nominated for the PIPA Prize for the second time. In this year’s edition, Mendes joins a group of more than 70 artists nominated by a committee comprising professionals active in the Brazilian contemporary art scene.
The PIPA Prize aims to honour Brazilian artists whose trajectory is recent, but who already have a consistent and evident production. Participating artists can compete in 2 (two) categories: PIPA Award and PIPA Online.
Learn more about the artists nominated for the 2025 edition.
—
Silvana Mendes (1991) is a visual multi-artist whose practice is based on research into racial issues, territories and politics of affirmation. In her quest to re-signify symbologies and visual narratives, she uses collage, painting, video art and photography as a medium. Through her ‘afetocolages’, she seeks to deconstruct negative visualities and stereotypes imposed on black bodies throughout Afro-Atlantic history. The artist also uses muralism and lick art as a means of disseminating what she considers to be a ‘decolonising artistic didactic’, seeking to debate the places of power in works of art, elitism and the social/racial focus of artistic movements.
Recent group shows include: ‘Um Defeito de Cor’, Rio Art Museum – MAR, Rio de Janeiro, 2022-2023; “Carolina Maria de Jesus: Um Brasil para os Brasileiros‘, Instituto Moreira Salles – IMS, São Paulo, 2021-2022; ’Raio a Raio‘, Solar dos Abacaxis / Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro – MAM Rio, 2022; ’Vozes Contra o Racismo‘, Secretaria de Cultura de São Paulo, 2020; and ’III Bienal do Sertão de Artes Visuais”, Vitória da Conquista, BA, 2017.
