Home » Artists » Kika Carvalho
Color – Sea – Observation – History – Memory
Graduated in Visual Arts from the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), her artistic practice spans various mediums, techniques, and scales. She conducts meticulous research centered on the color blue, which connects to both the landscapes of the island city where she was born and the broader history of painting. Her work explores the complex processes of Black identity in contemporary society and is deeply influenced by themes of presence and absence – particularly relevant to the Atlantic diaspora.
Her first solo show – “On the promises we made” – took place at Portas Vilaseca Galeria in 2022, featuring a critical text by curator Marcelo Campos. More recently, in 2023, she presented a new solo show – “Ultramar” – curated by Lucas Albuquerque and held at the Eva Klabin House Museum in Rio de Janeiro.
Carvalho has taken part in important group exhibitions in recent years, including: “Encruzilhadas da Arte Afro-Brasileira“, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil SP, MG and RJ (2023-2024); “Dos Brasis“, Sesc Belenzinho – SP, and Sesc Quitandinha – RJ (2023-2024); “Um defeito de cor“, Museu de Arte do Rio – MAR, Rio de Janeiro; Museu Nacional da Cultura Afro-Brasileira – MUNCAB, Salvador; and Sesc Pinheiros, São Paulo (2022-2024); “Crônicas Cariocas“, Museu de Arte do Rio – MAR, Rio de Janeiro (2021-2022); “Outros Ensaios para o Tempo“, Galeria Nara Roesler São Paulo, in partnership with Portas Vilaseca Galeria (2021); “Enciclopédia Negra“, Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo (2021); “Atenção Para o Refrão“, Goethe Institut, Salvador (2020) and “Foram os Homens e as Mulheres Negras que Construíram a Identidade Nacional – Vidas Negras do Brasil“, Museu Afro Brasil, São Paulo (2020).
She has also participated in artistic residency programs, such as: Angola AIR – Luanda Art Space (2022); Vila Sul – Goethe Institut Salvador (2020); Outra Margem (2021); and Malungas (2018), with Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino.
Her works are part of important institutional collections in Brazil, such as: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR), The Inhotim Institute and Mucane – Museu Capixaba do Negro. In 2021, she was nominated for the Pipa Prize.
