Laís Amaral (b. 1993, São Gonçalo, Brazil) is a self-trained Brazilian artist who lives and works in Rio de Janeiro. She began her practice in 2017 as a cofounder of Trovoa, a collective based in Niterói that focused on experimental, process-based approaches to artmaking. Through collaborative work, the group engaged with questions of race, gender and social experience, particularly from the perspective of racialized women in Brazilian society.
Amaral’s practice is primarily centered on painting and reflects an ongoing interest in the relationship between art and craft. She identifies as an “artist-artisan,” a term shaped by both her family background and her experience within collective practices. Her work is characterized by the use of unconventional tools, including manicure instruments and hair combs, which she employs to challenge established Western notions of abstraction and to develop textured, process-driven surfaces.
Her work addresses themes related to environmental degradation, particularly desertification, alongside the phenomenon of “whitening” in Brazilian territories. Amaral connects these altered landscapes and the internal conditions of individuals shaped by social and economic pressures. Through layered compositions and techniques such as covering and scraping dark surfaces to reveal underlying color, her paintings function as visual structures that evoke processes of excavation and the uncovering of hidden narratives.
Amaral has presented solo exhibitions at Mendes Wood DM, New York (2024); Galeria 5 Bocas, Rio de Janeiro (2024); HOA Gallery, São Paulo (2023); M+B, Los Angeles (2022); and Anita Schwartz Galeria, Rio de Janeiro (2020).
Her work has also been included in group exhibitions at institutions such as the 16th Gwangju Biennale (Brazil Pavilion, forthcoming); Goodwood Art Foundation, Chichester (2025); Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (2025); Casa da Cultura da Comporta (2025); Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (2024); Museu de Arte do Rio (2022); Instituto Tomie Ohtake (2021); and Solar dos Abacaxis (2019).