Sabrina Barrios

My name is Sabrina Barrios, I am a Brazilian artist and have lived in New York for over a decade.

In 2018, however, due to political issues in my country, I moved to Rio de Janeiro and today I live between these two cities.

In addition to fine art, I have a degree in graphic design and worked in large companies (such as Editora Abril, Globo, MTV and Bloomberg) before becoming an artist.

In fact, this transition was part of a process of dealing with my guilt, as I had worked with politically corrupt media institutions that had spread lies that would make history.

So my response to this situation has been to quit, leave my country, and study hard to understand how I would use my voice to exalt those who are often ignored.

Since 2012, I have traveled the world, exhibiting my art.

It is part of my process to begin any work with a personal immersion in the place where the work will be created, so that I understand how these people live, instead of projecting my experiences into the reality of others.

Thus, I believe that my works are more relevant, because they were created specifically for this community, they directly dialogue with their difficulties.

This is how I lived in the oldest favela in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro. I experienced a lack of resources and security. I have lived with adults and heard from the elderly. I taught art to children. I have learned to differentiate between the sounds of guns and the sounds of gunshots that warn when a conflict between drug dealers and the police will occur. I was welcomed. I grew up.