Da Família

2025 | Exhibited at Capstone Collective, Project Space, NYU Abu Dhabi

Many housekeepers in Brazil have heard from their employers that they are “almost like family.” While at first glance kind-hearted, this phrase understates the inherent tensions of domestic work, where most maids are Black women (working for white households), come from a low socioeconomic status, face informality and a decades-long struggle for inclusion in the labor rights law.

Da Família (Like Family), based on interviews with my mother and aunt, explores domestic workers’ personal stories and political agency. My paintings portray the domestic space as a site of affection, segregation, connection, and perpetuation of gender-racial stereotypes, in both paid and unpaid labor. The woodcut prints, inspired by “cordel” folk poetry booklets from my family’s Northeastern roots, portray the North-South migration experienced by many domestic workers.

This installation is a tribute not only to the women that have shaped my life, but also to the often marginalized history of domestic workers in the country.

Mom Taught Me Everything, 2024, 100 x 150 cm, acrylic on wood panel

Sunday Afternoon, 2024, 29.7 x 42 cm, egg tempera on wood panel

Untitled, 2025, 42 x 29.7 cm, acrylic on wood panel

Almost Like Family, 2025, 150 x 100 cm, acrylic on wood panel

Cordel Da Família, 2025, 14.8 x 21cm, woodcut print on paper