Mariana Werneck is a Black-Indigenous visual artist born in Rio de Janeiro. She was raised in Rio Grande do Norte from ages 3 to 14. She holds a degree in Visual Communication from the School of Fine Arts at UFRJ and spent a year and a half studying at the Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage. Mariana works by building narratives that dialogue with human and non-human bodies. She seeks to reconnect the superficial mind and the subconscious, observing—in the first instance—places associated with real life, urban and exposed environments. In the second instance, she explores internal places, referred to as supracelestial. Her work also raises decolonial, political, and socio-environmental questions. She utilizes different supports to encompass a multilanguage of artistic expressions—photography, videography, totems, textile collage, and painting.
How did your journey into the art world begin?
At 17, I started photographing without much pretension. With a Cybershot camera, I would gather friends and insert props to compose images. Outdoor walks and gatherings at relatives' houses shaped small photo essays. I was (co)memorating the end of childhood. At 21, I entered the Visual Communication degree program at the School of Fine Arts of UFRJ, where I began theoretical studies on time, space, and the meaning of things.
What is your creative process like?
I use the dream space (espaço onírico) as the primary cradle for pre-creation. The dream space is the place we find between sleeping and waking—a space empty of self and full of other realities. For the actual creation, I almost always opt for nature: rivers, beaches, forests. Then, imagination merges, recognizing the multilanguage of artistic expressions—among them photography, videography, painting, totems, and the recycling of matter.
What are your sources of inspiration?
I observe, in the first instance, places associated with real life, urban and exposed places. In the second instance, I observe internal places which, in cosmological theory, are called supracelestial. I am inspired by the knowledge of original peoples, Afro-Amerindian spirituality, and the spirits that govern the four elements: Water, Fire, Earth, and Air.
What is the meaning of art in your life?
The body is a living machinery that feels the world, tastes, and breathes everything conceived within it. Nourishing oneself with art provokes catharsis and the healing of emotional issues. Art also has the function of (re)structuring our existence, emancipating us from the capitalist logic that subjugates our primordial memories, histories, and culture.
What advice would you offer to artists just starting out?
Look inward. Remember. Forget. Remember again. Rewrite, do not forget. Sleep, wake up. Practice everything all over again.
