b. 1981, USA; lives and works in New York
Juliana Cerqueira Leite is a Brazilian-American sculptor based in Brooklyn. Her work investigates how the human body is measured, defined, and asserts itself in the physical world through its relationship to space. Focusing on the capabilities and limitations of her own body, she employs repetitive movements and physical exertion to visceral effect. All of her works are self-portraits, but not in the classic sense. She laboriously interacts with materials such as clay, plaster, and rubber, directly impressing and casting her body in motion.
Cerqueira Leite graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art MFA in London in 2006, where she received the Kenneth Armitage Sculpture Prize. More recently, she was awarded 2016’s Furla Art Prize for her contribution to the 5th Moscow Young Art Biennial. Her work has appeared in group shows at the Saatchi Gallery, London, Duve Gallery, Berlin, theVancouver Biennial, Cass Sculpture Foundation, and Marres House for Contemporary Culture in Maastricht. Her work is in private and university collections in the Americas and Europe.