Juliana Ribeiro

Juliana Ribeiro (b. 1989) is a Portuguese artist and designer who has been regularly participating in solo and collective exhibition projects both in Portugal and on the international scene since 2007.

In 2008, Juliana graduated from the Porto Fashion School, in 2013, she graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Porto, and in 2016, she obtained her Master's degree. Juliana is the winner of two prestigious awards: her portfolio includes the Young Luso-Galician Talent Award at the 10th Eixo Atlântico Painting Biennial in Spain (2013) and the Arte Solta Award from the Espaço Q Gallery (2019).

Juliana began painting at the age of 16, where her passion for portraiture was born. The artist grew up surrounded by her own drawings, fabrics, and wedding dresses created by her mother. Later, during her studies, Juliana decided to combine her knowledge of design with her interest in fabric and materials, combining textiles and painting techniques into one artistic statement. Her works, with organic, fluid forms, are at once strong and fragile, feminine and poetic, reflecting on life, memory, the body, and corporeality.

For Juliana, sensory perception is important, and first of all, the tactility of the works. In her works, fabric and painting enter into a dialogue and complement each other. Organic, sculptural forms first appeared in the artist’s diploma project, which was connected to her personal history. Their starting point was a mark on her body left by a traumatic experience. Through art, she sought to transform the ugly into the beautiful, and the destructive into a positive beginning.

Gradually, her work moved away from the original context, and the forms began to be perceived more universally. Today, they can resemble mythical creatures, landscapes seen from above, or intuitively refer to the landscapes of the Duoro wine region, the artist’s native land.