How did you get into making art?
I’ve always been drawn to working with my hands. As a child, I used to watch craft and DIY TV shows with my mother in the evenings, and those moments became some of my first references.
Later, while studying fashion and textile processes, I started seeing fabric not only as material, but as something that could be manipulated and constructed in space. Yarn especially caught my attention — it’s such a simple element, yet it holds endless structural possibilities.
As I explored techniques like knitting and embroidery, I became more aware of how these forms of knowledge were traditionally passed down in domestic, often feminized spaces, and how they were rarely valued within formal art education. That tension stayed with me and gradually became central to my practice.
What are you currently working on?
Right now, I’m developing a solo exhibition that will take place in São Paulo. In this show, I’m interested in creating a kind of tribute to the thread and its connection to ideas of structure, anatomy, and space.
At the same time, I’m preparing for my first international artist residency, which will happen in Jaipur, India, at the end of the year. I’m looking forward to how this experience might expand my material and cultural references.
I was thinking about how the body is also made of fibers — muscles, connective tissues, circulatory systems. In that sense, thread can be understood as part of an expanded anatomy.
Jessica Costa
What inspired you to get started on this body of work?
I titled this body of work “Torções” — a Portuguese word that means twists, referring to the movement that turns fiber into yarn.
I was thinking about how the body is also made of fibers — muscles, connective tissues, circulatory systems. In that sense, thread can be understood as part of an expanded anatomy.
Through twisting, tension, and accumulation, the yarn begins to suggest something organic — both structural and visceral. This relationship between textile construction and the body has been present in my work for some time.
Do you work on distinct projects or do you take a broader approach to your practice?
It depends on the context, but I usually prefer to focus on one project at a time. It allows me to go deeper into the research and the making process.
Even when the projects are distinct, they’re usually connected — like different moments within the same ongoing investigation.
What’s a typical day like in your studio?
I usually arrive in the morning after doing some physical exercise — which is important, since tufting is physically demanding.
I start by answering emails and dealing with administrative tasks, then I spend some time sketching and organizing ideas. After that, I move into the making process itself.
The work involves several stages: preparing the yarn, tufting, sculpting the wool, and refining the surface. It’s a process that shifts between physical effort and a more meditative rhythm.
Who are your favorite artists?
Brazil has very strong artistic references that influence me, especially Henrique Oliveira, Maria Nepomuceno, and Adriana Varejão. Their relationship with materiality and the body resonates with my own research.
Where do you go to discover new artists?
I most enjoy discovering new artists through group exhibitions. I try to keep this habit both in my city and when I’m traveling.
Seeing different practices sharing the same space helps me understand broader conversations happening in contemporary art.
