I AM
As a visual artist, activist, and social project strategist, I dedicate my life and work to art for social change. I translate urgent issues of public health, the environment, and human rights – especially those related to HIV/AIDS – into visual language, using aesthetics and symbolism as pedagogical tools. I live surrounded by love and purpose, working both within my local community and globally. I am constantly inspired by the young people I’ve worked with over the years, who continue to fuel my commitment to equity, education, and dignity.
I use discarded materials that would otherwise become waste – such as expired condoms, HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis test plates, and expired antiretroviral medication packaging – as raw material for creation and conversation. With them, I build sculptures, fashion pieces, and installations that break silence, provoke thought, and invite dialogue. I do not merely create art; I create platforms for visibility and education. Through workshops, performances, and community-based interventions, I engage young people and marginalized communities in co-authoring narratives that place care, prevention, and empowerment at the center.
OPEN
I have been involved in the global response to HIV for over 25 years. My journey began in Brazil in the 1990s, when I witnessed firsthand the social and political neglect surrounding the AIDS epidemic. Over the years, I have developed art-education projects in collaboration with NGOs, schools, universities, governments, and private companies. My studio became a space for healing, resistance, and transformation, especially for young people living with HIV who often joined me to create and exhibit works that reflect their stories and demands.
The epidemic of stigma is still alive, and silence only feeds it. I share my story to break that silence, to demystify HIV, to confront the stigma that still persists, and to invite people to see the human being before the diagnosis. Through my art, I aim to restore autonomy to those whose narratives have been silenced or distorted. My story is a collective journey that belongs to all the communities that have trusted me with their truths. It reveals how art can be a tool for disruption, social repair, and public health advocacy. By hearing it, people can recognize the power of unconventional tools – like fashion, sculpture, and installation – in transforming public discourse. Art does not simply reflect reality; it can reimagine it. And when people understand this, they are more likely to act, to care, and to stand up for justice.
My life and work are guided by the belief that “art is not only a mirror of society; it is a scalpel, a seed, and a sanctuary. It cuts through denial, plants possibility, and shelters truth.” Through beauty, we can provoke thought, inspire change, and heal collective wounds. This philosophy informs everything I do, from large-scale installations to community workshops, reminding me that beauty holds the power to educate, to heal, and to mobilize.
HIV stigmafighter 