Berna Reale

Berna Reale (Belém do Pará, Brazil, 1965) is a leading figure in Brazilian contemporary art, known for her powerful work in performance, photography, and video art. Her art delves into social violence, repression, and silencing, using her own body as an expressive tool. Since the 2000s, Reale has created pieces that merge social critique with intense visual aesthetics. In 2006, her intervention Cerne at the 25th Arte Pará Salon led her to work as a forensic expert at the Renato Chaves Forensic Center (2010), an experience that profoundly shapes her artistic practice. She skillfully contrasts attraction and repulsion to expose the brutality of violence. She has held solo exhibitions at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (2024), Galeria Nara Roesler (2022), Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR) (2013), Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMoCA) (2016), and Kunsthaus Wiesbaden (2017). Her work has also been featured in international events like the Venice Biennale (2015) and the 3rd Beijing Photo Biennial (2018). Her pieces are included in major collections such as the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM-SP), the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio), and the Instituto Itaú Cultural.