PATRICIA SANT ANA SCHELD
Location:
Wiesbaden, Germany
ARTIST BIO
Patricia Sant Ana Scheld is a Brazilian artist and curator who describes herself as a Latin American stork—a Tuiuiu—who landed in Biebrich, Germany, and built a creative “nest.” There she founded Illustralabor, a small, welcoming space dedicated to artistic encounters with a focus on illustration. Through Illustralabor, she organizes meetings and exchanges where people can experiment freely—not only with drawing and painting, but also with life and personal growth.
She studied Business Administration in Brazil in 1990 and built a professional career as an executive at Volkswagen, while actively engaging in art as an amateur painter and organizing exhibitions and creative activities for employees. After moving to Portugal in 2003, she studied Art Direction at ESAD Porto and Guimarães College, completed an Illustration course at Belas Artes in Lisbon in 2005, and later studied Graphic Design in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2008.
Alongside her artistic practice, she has continued to promote exhibitions and participate in events such as the Vila Verde Bienal, Black Brazil Bienal, and various exhibitions across Brazil, Portugal, and Germany. Her most recent exhibition took place at Cardabela in Mainz during the 3X Klingeln Festival in 2025.
ARTIST STATEMENT
As an artist, I'm driven by questions about the pain of the soul - my works are in dialogue with these feelings and forms. Examples include the performance SECA about menopause and "My Letters with Louise Bourgeois" (currently).
As an illustrator, I try to communicate in a way that's not so perfect and obvious. I like to show imperfections and simplicity and bring these points up for discussion. I've illustrated 10 books in Brazil, am currently illustrating one for a German publisher, and am the author of three books.
In my work, I try to experiment and bring what's seemingly imperfect into the public eye. My goal is to question given concepts - the boxes our society insists on creating to categorize people, patterns, and gestures.
