Milena is a Brazilian visual artist whose background in International Relations informs a practice that weaves together a global perspective with a deeply intimate and poetic artistic sensibility. Her work is rooted in the emotional depth of saudade—a uniquely Portuguese word that conveys a profound sense of longing, nostalgia, and the enduring presence of absence. Through her artistic practice, she explores saudade as a lens to reflect on memory, identity, time, and belonging.

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Painting from photographic references of her family, friends, and everyday life, Milena presents visual narratives that resonate on both personal and collective levels. Her images evoke shared emotions that speak to the lived experience of Latin America and Brazil, serving as emotional bridges between private memory and cultural heritage.

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Her work is at once an intimate diary and a cultural archive, where past and present merge in delicate, layered compositions. Each image holds a fragment of a story, a memory resurfaced, inviting the viewer into a contemplative space filled with empathy and recognition.

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Through a deeply feminine perspective, Milena honors her roots and cultural lineage, evoking the voices and affections passed down through generations. Her art pays tribute to the women who came before her and to the emotional landscapes that have shaped her identity. By using the visual language of emotion, she transforms saudade into fertile ground for connection and reflection.

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In her artistic universe, time is not linear but cyclical—woven from returns, absences, and quiet continuities. It is in this suspended space, between what once was and what still lingers, that her work resides. Here, saudade becomes not only a trace of sorrow, but also a celebration of everything that continues to live within us.

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