Details
| First Name | Carol |
| Last Name | Santos |
| Username | carolsantos |
| Bio | Carol Santos is a Brazilian-born, Atlanta-based multidisciplinary artist whose work explores memory, identity, and the intimate threads of family history. Rooted in personal narratives, her practice blends painting, textiles, sculpture, and installation, often incorporating repurposed materials and natural pigments. Her work draws on themes of childhood, migration, and oral traditions, evoking both nostalgia and resilience. Carol’s installations invite participation and reflection, transforming everyday objects into vessels of shared experience. She is best known for projects like Poetry in the Sky, a large-scale kite installation symbolizing innocence and freedom, and Cortinas, a textile-based homage to women’s labor and family legacy. Carol has exhibited in the U.S., Brazil, and Europe, and her work has been featured in solo and group shows, public art initiatives, and artist residencies. She also serves as an art professor at Kennesaw State University and is actively involved in curatorial and community arts projects in Atlanta, while serving as a boardmember at Art Sandy Springs. |
| Website | |
| Country of residence | United States (US) |
Statement
| Statement | In my work, I return again and again to childhood memories, weaving them into stories about family, tradition, and cultural heritage. Much of what I make comes from a need to hold onto these histories and pass them forward, while reflecting on how shared experiences shape identity and connection. I work across painting, textiles, sculpture, and installation, choosing whatever medium feels right for the story I want to tell. Oil and acrylic carry gestures and colors from memory, while recycled textiles and antique linens hold the weight of everyday use. Found and repurposed objects—whether humble household items or cherished heirlooms—bring their own histories into the work, adding layers of meaning and intimacy. My Brazilian upbringing deeply informs my practice. Natural pigments like coffee, turmeric, and beets recall childhood kitchens, while repetitive marks and hand-stitched details echo my grandmother’s rag rugs. These gestures are as much meditative as they are expressive, a way of keeping time and honoring those who came before me. At its heart, my practice is autobiographical, but it also reaches outward. I see it as an archive—one that preserves memory, nurtures connection with my children, and invites others to reflect on their own stories of family and belonging. |
Exhibitions
| Exhibitions | Solo Shows
Group Shows
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Interests and medias
| Interests | Collage, Drawing, Mixed media, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Textile art |
| Painting medias | Acrylic, Oil |
| Drawing medias | Charcoal, Conté |
| Printmaking medias | Linocut, Monotype |
| Textile medias | crocheting, weaving |
| Collage medias | Photomontage |
| Sculpture medias | Ceramics, Clay, Papier-mâché, Found objects, Textile |