Anais-karenin is an artist, writer, and researcher. Her practice is intimately engaged with plants, evoking them as ancestry. Investigating the liminal states between materials, such as transformation, gradations of belonging, and displacement, her works give rise to intimate and intuitive communication as a methodology through which she critically reflects on history, language, territory, and science.
She researched traditional methodologies with medicinal herbs since 14 years old inspired by the cosmovisions of her ancestors from "sertão" (a dry, rural area in northeastern Brazil), from where arise the main questions and myths that guide her creative process.
2024 PhD in Arts University of São Paulo|USP (Brazil)
2021-2023 Visiting Researcher Fellow Waseda University, Department of International Culture and Communication Studies (Japan)
2018 MA in Art and Contemporary Culture University of Rio de Janeiro|UERJ (Brazil)
2016 BA in Visual Arts University of Rio de Janeiro|UERJ (Brazil)
2017 Butoh Dance Studies with Tadashi Endo and Yoshito Ohno
Member of bio-aesthetics research group metaPhorest (Japan)
Integrant of experimental sound project Meteoro (Brazil)
Based in Japan
SOLO
2023 Things named [things], The 5th Floor, curated by Tomoya Iwata (Tokyo-JP)
2023 Mediate Plants, Kobo Chika Gallery, Yebizo MEETS Program - Yebisu International Festival for Art and Alternative Visions 恵比寿映像祭 (Tokyo-JP)
2021 (un)visual latency, Uradana Gallery, Sumida Expo, presented by Ona Project Room (Tokyo-JP)
SELECTED GROUP SHOWS
2024 Beyond Atami, Atami Art Grant (Atami-JP)
2024 野良になる (Becoming Feral), Towada Art Center, Aomori Gokan Art Festival (Aomori-JP)
2024 Outras Paisagens, MAC Niterói, Museum of Contemporary Art Niterói (Niterói-BR)
2024 metaPhorest Biome, WHITEHOUSE Shinjuku (Tokyo-JP)
2024 Gunma Artist in Residency Program Exhibition, The Museum of Modern Art Gunma 群馬県立近代美術館 (Gunma-JP)
2024 The Senses of Plants, curated by Julia Thiemann, Villa Merkel (Esslingen-DE)
2023 土と夢 , Gasbon Metabolism (Hokuto-JP)
2023 Diffusion of Nature, Watowa Gallery (Tokyo-JP)
2023 Radio Otherwise, CTM Festival + Vorspiel Berlin
2022 Between Of, curated by Tomoya Iwata, The 5th Floor (Tokyo-JP)
2022 Mettazine, Org. Goethe Institute Tokyo, Buoy Space (Tokyo-JP)
2022 Paradise Hour, PARADISE AIR (Matsudo-JP)
2022 Anthropocene beyond the fork, Tsukuba Art Cycle (Tsukuba-JP)
2022 the breath below, Kunstverein Göttingen (Dresden-DE)2021 Künstlers äus Gebäud f:, Berlin Art Week (Berlin-DE)
2021 SANAR SONAR, with Meteoro, Festival Sur Aural (Bolivia)
2021 Radio Otherwise, with Meteoro, Archival Community, Floating University (Berlin-DE)
2021 A extinção do silêncio, curated by Piscina, São Paulo Art Fair Viewing Room (São Paulo-BR)
2020 Não é o céu, lá fora?, curated by Paulo Gallina, Galeria Tato (São Paulo-BR)
2020 CoVideo-19, curated by Bianca Bernardo (online)
2019 Com os olhos no céu da boca, Centro Cultural Correios (São Paulo-BR)
2019 Mostra do Filme Livre, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (many cities-BR)
2019 Bienal do Sertão, Museu do Piauí (Teresina-BR)
2018 Projeto Estufa”, SPFW46, Arca (São Paulo-BR)
2018 Achados e Perdidos, curated by Marcelo Campos, Galeria Gustavo Schnoor (Rio de Janeiro-Brazil)
2018 9+1, curated by Pollyana Quintella, Centro de Artes UFF (Niterói-BR)
2017 Políticas Incendiárias, Centro Municipal de Artes Helio Oiticica (Rio de Janeiro-BR)
2017 Experiência 9+1, curated by Pollyana Quintella, Centro Cultural Justiça Federal, (Rio de Janeiro-BR)
2016 Festival Mais Performance, OiFuturo Ipanema (Rio de Janeiro-BR)
2016 Indisciplinas, with Meteoro, Casa França-Brasil (Rio de Janeiro-BR)
2016 Das Virgens em Cardumes, performance, curated by Daniela Labra, Bispo do Rosário Museu Arte Contemporânea (Rio de Janeiro-BR)
2016 4QUINA, Galeria A Gentil Carioca (Rio de Janeiro-BR)
2016 Do teus olhos, os gestos, performance, curated by Ivair Reinaldim, Paço Imperial (Rio de Janeiro-BR)
2015 Festival Novas Frequências #5, performance with Delivered in Voices, Tunga's studio (Rio de Janeiro-BR)
2015 Primaverinha, curated by João Paulo Quintella, Oi Futuro Flamengo (Rio de Janeiro-BR)
GRANTS | FELLOWSHIPS
2024 Atami Art Grant
2022/23 Fellowship, Doctoral Sandwich, Ministry of Education CAPES (BR)
2021 QOL Matsudo Art Award PARADISE AIR (JP)
2016/18 Fellowship, National Council CNPq (BR)
2013/15 Fellowship, Ministry of Education CAPES (BR)
RESIDENCY | RESEARCH
2023 Gunma Artist in Residency Program (Gunma-JP)
2023 Resonance Program (artist and coordinator). Supported by OSAKA EXPO, collaboration with Togatta Residency (Miyagi-JP)
2022 Kumonodaira Artist in Residence Program (Toyama-JP)
2021 PARADISE AIR Artist in Residency, QOL Matsudo Art Award (Chiba-JP)
2021 - m(-u-)lti-yo(-u-)u-s-m(-u-)lti- Laboratory, Torhaus Whelen (Dresden-DE)
2016 Museu Bispo do Rosário Arte Contemporânea (BR)
Researcher at GEAA - Art Asia Studies Group, and Kinyokai - Japanese Studies Group (2019/current)
Associate of Silo - Arte e Latitude Rural (2019/20) coordination of "EncontrADA - Tecnologias e Saberes Ancestrais"
LECTURES | ARTIST TALKS
2022/23 Teaching Assistant, Prof. Pedro Erber, Graduate School of International Culture and Communication Studies, Waseda University, Tokyo, JP.
2023 Oxford University (UK). Conference "Missing Bodies, Missing Voices". Seminar tittle: "Environment in Japan: Art and Activism from Post-war to nowadays Anthropocene".
2023 Brazilian Embassy in Japan, artist talk "Transcultural Approaches on Art and Ecology". Guest speakers: Hiroki Yamamoto (art critic) and Seiha Kurosawa (curator), Pedro Erber (mediator). Artists: Anais-karenin, Rubiane Maia, Silvia Noronha.
2023 Japan Society New York, Nikkei SDGs Forum Festival. Talk session: Synergy between Climate Change and Biodiversity".
2023 Kanazawa University (JP), 「グローバル潮流：ネイチャーポジティブ・カーボンマイナスを読み解く」. Seminar tittle:「生物多様性とは何か－バイオプラスティックを事例にArtとResearchの現場から」.
2022 United Nations University (JP). Org. United Nations. The 3rd Global Conference Strengthening Synergies Between the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
2022 ECOLOGICAL MEMES Forum. Seminar tittle: "Reencountering Animism - Arts of Relating to the World".
2022 75th metaPhorest Seminar hold by Waseda University (JP). Seminar tittle: "Dialogues - Plants, Bioart and Animism".
2022 Salamanca University (ES). Lecture tittle: "Not to swallow, to let oneself be swallowed: for a review of the Modern Art Week",
2021 Ochanomizu University (JP). Lecture tittle: "Symbiotic Spaces: Arts, Science & Research",
2018 Contemporary Art Museum, Niterói (BR). Artist Talk: "Gélido Sertão". ANPAP Sudeste.
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