Estela

Recent work of Portuguese artist Ana Santos delves into sculptural research through the use of processes and materials drawn from industrial production, such as tubular structures, metallic surfaces, and standar- dized assembly systems. These pieces, often vertical, mark an evolution in her artistic language: rather than intervening found objects, her work now articulates enacts fabrication with a poetic sensibility, revealing how functional and seemingly neutral elements can acquire semantic density. This approach situates her artwork in relation to assembly culture and the precision associated with jewelry-making, while at the same time reaffirming a singular gaze on architecture, materiality, and the act of seeing.

The sculptures exhibited in Stela may evoke conduits, organs, or joints, embodying markings and engravings with a commemorative appearance. Far from operating solely on a symbolic level, these inscriptions are understood through their material dimension and their connection to functional optimization. At the intersection of anatomy, monument, and industry, Ana Santos’s sculpture is configured as a space of mediation between the intimate and the public realm.

Ana Santos (Espinho, Portugal, 1982) explores the production of objects and their relationship to the exhibition space. Her career, which includes awards such as the EDP New Artists Award (2014) and the Visual Arts Grant from the Botín Foundation (2019–2020), has been characterized by sustained research into the ways in which everyday materials and objects may be re-signified through the creative act. Over recent years, Santos has presented her work in solo exhibitions including De um corpo ao outro, Antonio Cachola Collection, MACE, Elvas (2025–2026); Três motivos em S., Carmona e Costa Foundation, Lisbon (2024); Colecção primavera-verão, Culturgest, Lisbon (2023); Itinerários XXVII, Centro Botín, Santander; verão, CentroCentro, Madrid (2021); Anátema, MAAT, Lisbon (2019), among others, in which her works invite viewers into a sustained and attentive dialogue with matter and form. She has been artist in residence at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York and granted with La Cité Interna- tional des Arts by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Paris. Her work is held in institutional collections such as Fundação de Serralves, EDP Collection or Pavilhão Julião Sarmento.