Fernanda developed a language that combines figuration and abstract elements, always anchored in personal experiences and the construction of identity.
The production of Fernanda Gomes dos Santos starts from a constant observation of everyday life and the references that structure her trajectory as a black woman. Born in Niterói and currently living in Itapetininga (SP), she began her artistic practice in 2020, first in digital arts. The following year he began to explore acrylic painting, a field in which he consolidated his visual research.
Fernanda developed a language that combines figuration and abstract elements, always anchored in personal experiences and the construction of identity. By adopting portraits of black people as a focus, he transformed the theme into a positioning. Representation, for her, is a choice that crosses memory, ancestry, and the need to record stories that rarely occupy the center of visual discourse in Brazil.
The accessories present in his portraits, such as hats, glasses, scarves, and designer pieces, act as markers of subjectivity. They introduce discussions about consumption, economic autonomy, and how fashion operates as an extension of identity and desire. This choice reinforces the artist's purpose of presenting black characters in conditions of prominence, complexity, and individuality.
Self-taught and independent, Fernanda structures her career outside the traditional circuits. This condition highlights both your ability to build your own path and the challenges you discuss when talking about recognition and visibility. For her, the market still needs to advance the understanding that black artists should not be remembered only on specific dates, but considered in their continuous production.
Her work as a whole reveals an artist committed to the materiality of her references and to the construction of visual narratives that expand the black presence in the field of contemporary Brazilian art. Fernanda Gomes dos Santos presents a work that observes, records, and affirms, without excess, without recourse to grand gestures, but with consistency and clarity.
