Brunna Amorim

My work explores Brazilian cultural identity and how it has been shaped through religion, folklore, and history. Through painting, I examine the religious syncretism that formed Umbanda as a uniquely Brazilian religion born from African, Indigenous, and European Catholic traditions. I create visual tension by presenting Umbanda entities through the familiar visual language of Catholic iconography. Alongside this, my drypoint prints focus on Brazilian folklore, presented as illustrations in a small book with short explanations of each folklore and its background . By portraying these figures in a serious and sometimes unsettling way, I aim to move away from their usual child-focused representations and emphasize their cultural and historical significance.

Brunna Amorim is a Brazilian artist currently based in the United States and pursuing a Bachelor of Art in Painting and Drawing at Anderson University. She holds an associate’s degree in art with a focus in 3D Design and Ceramics. Working primarily in painting and drawing, her practice explores Brazilian and Latin cultural identity through religion, folklore, and history. Amorim grew up in Brazil and was educated in Catholic schools before moving to the United States at the age of fifteen. Her work is informed by Indigenous heritage and by historical processes such as colonization and cultural displacement, which influence her interest in religious syncretism, cultural memory, and political activism. Through visual storytelling, she examines how traditions are preserved and reinterpreted across generations.