Ana Lira

Artist Ana Lira studied engineering for six years before realizing that the answers to her concerns did not lie in the exact sciences. After switching to journalism, she discovered photography as an expressive force and began to develop a body of work that investigates power relations and communication dynamics. Her decision to exchange clipboards for lenses was a success. Born in Caruaru, a small city in the Agreste region of the state of Pernambuco, the 40 year-old Recife resident is now an established name in the contemporary Brazilian art world. With strong political references, her work has already been widely exhibited and awarded many prizes.

In 2014, the 31st Bienal de São Paulo housed her work Voto!. Started in 2012 and constantly under construction, Voto! is a record of the “leftovers” from election campaigns. After the mayoral election in Recife that year, she began documenting what remained of posters and pamphlets throughout the city and how the action of time and people interacted and changed those media, which by then were outdated and devoid of their initial meaning.

A work in progress, like others by the artist, Voto! led to the installation Não-Dito, which was awarded the Funarte Contemporary Art prize in 2015. Works by Ana Lira include Sobre um surgir insurgente, Saia Livre, 111 Cale-se, nãobrigado and #ocuppe. In the artist’s own words, a distinguishing feature of her work is the production of experiences and collective articulation. Images, publications, urban interventions and experiences of exchange are articulated to stitch together emotional experiences and debates through collectivities.