Ana Prata, born 1980, is a Brazilian artist who graduated in Visual Arts from the University of São Paulo. Since the beginning of her career she has been developing and specializing her research in painting. Her works vary formally by offering different scales, themes and materials as she understands the medium as a way to experiment and as a language. She explores the possibilities the medium provides by first mastering the very traditional motif of still lifes. In this way she follows a modernistic approach towards painting and its didactics without being nostalgic. Her figurative paintings reference past art movements like Primitivism and Cubism, blending them into the dialogue of contemporary painting. Using still lifes as an entry point, she depicts domestic objects such as vases and fruits, flowers and instruments — indicators of extinct genres — in an unusual way. The results are lush works oscillating between decorative arts and graphism with dynamic strokes and hints at the different layers of paint that evoke an atmospheric and light image. Prata offers a refreshing change from classical still lifes by using the small scale of her work to offer a platform for mystery and speculation; something so miniscule creates an aura of preciousness and intimacy.
She was included in the 33rd Bienal de São Paulo in 2018 and has been the subject of solo exhibitions at SESC Pompeia (São Paulo, 2022); Gallery 56 Henry (New York, 2023), Galería Travesía Cuatro (Mexico City, 2022; Madrid 2020; Guadalajara, 2020), Galeria Millan (São Paulo, 2021); Tobias Mueller Modern Art (Zurich, 2020), Auroras (São Paulo, 2019), Instituto Tomie Ohtake (São Paulo, 2012), among others. She was one of the nominees for the PIPA Award in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2011, she was a resident artist at the Red Bull Art House in São Paulo and at Unlimited Residence, New York in 2016.
She has taken part in group exhibitions at institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo; Caixa Cultural (Rio de Janeiro, 2017); Instituto Figueiredo Ferraz (Ribeirão Preto, 2015); SESC_Videobrasil (São Paulo, 2011 and 2013); Instituto Tomie Ohtake (São Paulo, 2011) and Instituto Moreira Salles (Rio de Janeiro, 2013).
Her work is part of international collections including the Pinault Collection; Jorge Pérez Collection, Miami; Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo; MAC, São Paulo Instituto Figueiredo Ferraz, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo and the Ruiz Picasso Collection.
The artist lives and works in São Paulo.