Full Breakdown
Larissa De Souza: Art as a Portal to Healing and Memory
2/4/2026, 8:33:22 AM
The Essence of De Souza's Artistic Practice
Larissa De Souza's artwork embodies a profound exploration of her identity as an Afro-Brazilian woman, intertwining personal memories with broader cultural narratives. Her paintings reflect a unique synthesis of Afro-Caribbean spirituality, Santería, Catholic imagery, and Brazilian folklore, revealing a rich tapestry of influences that shape her creative expression. De Souza's upbringing in a Catholic family, infused with Yoruba traditions, informs her artistic vision, allowing her to channel a hybrid spirituality that resonates throughout her work.
Generational Trauma and Personal Narrative
At the heart of De Souza's practice is a commitment to confronting generational trauma and the experiences of women in her lineage. Her painting "Baby’s Layette" (2025) poignantly addresses her mother's struggles as a single parent, a narrative that resonates with many Black women in Brazil. De Souza articulates, “When she was pregnant with me, she went alone to the hospital... that experience marked her deeply.” This personal history serves as a foundation for her artistic exploration, where each piece becomes a vessel for processing and sharing these long-repressed memories.
The Role of Materiality and Intuition
De Souza's artistic process is characterized by an intuitive approach to materials, combining acrylics, oils, fabric, and found objects. This multi-material technique blurs the lines between painting, craft, and assemblage, creating a tactile experience that invites viewers to engage with her work on multiple levels. She describes her practice as “closer to artisanal,” emphasizing the importance of experimentation and the use of domestic materials that carry their own histories. This method allows her to transform personal and generational wounds into mythic representations, grounding the extraordinary in the everyday.
Art as a Means of Assertion and Healing
The title of De Souza's exhibition, inspired by Maya Angelou's poem "Phenomenal Woman," reinforces her focus on asserting feminine dignity and matriarchal energy. Her art serves as a means of claiming space for stories that demand recognition and honor. De Souza states, “It’s like looking back, or imagining how my mother might have seen me.” Through her work, she seeks to restore dignity to experiences often overlooked, creating a dialogue between memory and imagination that fosters healing.
The Intersection of Logic and Belief
De Souza's paintings thrive within the tension between logic and belief, reason and imagination. In "Still, I Rise" (2025), she captures a moment of transformation, where a magician’s assistant is depicted mid-performance, symbolizing self-possession and transcendence. This interplay of elements reflects her broader artistic philosophy, where magic is not an escape but a human capacity to reframe and envision new realities.
Conclusion: The Mythic Function of Art
Ultimately, Larissa De Souza's work transcends mere self-expression; it serves as a response to trauma and a means of repair. By transforming lived experiences into shared symbols, her paintings resonate across generations, allowing personal suffering to find meaning within a larger cosmic order. De Souza's art embodies a living, mythic language of repair, asserting the power of creativity to navigate the complexities of memory, identity, and resilience.
