Fernanda Gomes graduated from the Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial in 1981 and worked as a designer until 1991, when she dedicated herself entirely to visual arts. Her first exhibition was a solo show at Galeria Macunaíma (Funarte) in 1988, followed by numerous others—most recently at Vienna's Secession and Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (both 2019).
An artist in constant practice, Gomes transforms every space she inhabits, even when emphasizing emptiness. She works anywhere as if at home, often traveling light for exhibitions, believing "things are everywhere." Employing diverse processes, she develops an ever-expanding visual language. Her radical approach to color—primarily whites and raw materials—treats light as literal matter. Each site-specific installation becomes a unique work, responsive to its context while maintaining her belief in art's primal autonomy as "living objects." Modest materials, human scale, and playful dimensions invite open, personal interpretations. [Excerpt from her 2020 interview with Hans Ulrich Obrist].
Major exhibitions include retrospectives at Pinacoteca de São Paulo (2019-2020), Secession Vienna (2019), and Museo Jumex (Mexico City, 2018). Her work was featured in Vitamin P3: New Perspectives in Painting (Phaidon, 2016).
Recent solo shows: Galeria Luisa Strina, São Paulo (2024); Peter Freeman, Inc., New York (2022); Alison Jacques Gallery, London (2017/2013); Centre International d’Art et du Paysage, Vassivière (2013).
Selected group exhibitions: 35th Panorama da Arte Brasileira, MAM-SP (2017); Imagine Brazil (Montreal/São Paulo/Lyon/Oslo, 2013-2015); 13th Istanbul Biennial (2013); 30th São Paulo Biennial (2012)
Collections: MoMA (NY), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Tate (London), MAM Rio/São Paulo, Art Institute of Chicago, and Serralves Foundation (Porto).