Elen Braga

This book offers the first comprehensive survey of fifteen years of work by Belgian-Brazilian artist Elen Braga. Renowned for a multidisciplinary practice that spans performance, textiles, installation, sculpture, video, and public art, Braga’s work draws on resilience, self-transcendence, religion, mythology, and identity. Her projects often arise from self-imposed, labor-intensive processes that are as physically demanding as they are conceptually rich, blending her Brazilian heritage with her life in Belgium. The volume presents a thoughtful reflection on recurring motifs, underlying themes, and the intricate relationship between art and life, supported by a diverse array of critical perspectives. Featuring essays by esteemed art critics and curators Raphael Fonseca, Laila Melchior, Paulo Miyada, Ilse Roosens, and Joanna Zielińska, alongside the artist’s own writings, the monograph documents Braga’s oeuvre and places it in a broader art-historical context. Edited by Pieter Vermeulen, with support by the Flemish Government, the publication offers a nuanced portrait of Braga’s enduring creative journey.

A companion to Braga’s practice, the book emphasizes how biography and biography-like processes inform her artistic language, and how cultural plurality informs form and content. It highlights the dialogue between intimate, laborful making and expansive public-facing work, illustrating how personal experience translates into contemporary art.

Features

• Fifteen-year survey of Elen Braga’s oeuvre
• Multidisciplinary practice across media
• Recurrent themes: resilience, identity, myth
• Essays by Fonseca, Melchior, Miyada, Roosens, Zielińska
• Includes artist’s own writings
• Edited by Pieter Vermeulen, Flemish Government support