LIANE ABDALLA
BIOGRAPHY
BIOGRAPHY
ACADEMIC EDUCATION
Liane Abdalla is a Brazilian visual artist whose practice inhabits the intersection between material archaeology and poetic sensitivity. Graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Fine Arts of São Paulo (1986), with further specialization in Art Therapy and Integrative Arts, her trajectory unfolds as an ongoing dialogue between gesture, memory, and the natural world.
Since the early 2000s, Abdalla has developed a process-driven and research-based practice using organic materials such as natural pigments, fibers, tree bark, seeds, soil, and recycled papers. Her works are not only paintings or assemblages—they are sedimentary records of time and territory, embodying a tactile relationship with the Atlantic Forest soil from which many of her materials are sourced.
Through series like "NaturArte" and "In Natura", exhibited at institutions such as the Caixa Cultural São Paulo and the National Arts Foundation (Funarte), Abdalla positions her work within the contemporary debates on ecology, ancestry, and material culture. Her use of earth-based media speaks of environmental urgency and invites reflection on human-nature relationships.
In recent years, her practice has shifted towards drawing-painting hybrids on reclaimed wood, paper, and canvas, creating fictional landscape environments where forests, trees, and imagined ecosystems emerge. Working in slow, layered gestures—through lines, dots, and chromatic glazes—Abdalla constructs intricate visual topographies that evoke both memory and landscape.
Her current research focuses on the symbolic force of natural elements and the intuitive mapping of invisible energies within the environment. Liane Abdalla’s work continues to expand the boundaries of contemporary Brazilian painting and material poetics, offering a meditative and critical response to notions of time, belonging, and ecological awareness.
COMPLEMENTARY COURSES
Postgraduate in Integrative Art from Faculdade Anhembi Morumbi, coordinated by Alexia B. Leirner, 2003 to 2004.
Specialization in Art Therapy – taught by professor and psychologist Joya Eliezer, president of the São Paulo Art Therapy Association – 1999 to 2002.
Degree in Fine Arts - Faculty of Fine Arts of São Paulo, 1982-1986.
INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS
Artistic Development Program – by Shannon Botelho, Thaís Rivitti, Mariana Leme, Lucas Benatti, Anelise Valls and others, Caso TATO, 2021-2022.
Monotype, taught by Dudi Maia Rosa, Instituto Tomie Ohtake, São Paulo – 2006.
Studio Course: Drawing and Painting, taught by Prof. Luiz Carlos de Almeida, FAAP – Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado – São Paulo, 2006.
Art in the Therapeutic Context - For training in Therapeutic Arts, taught by professor and psychologist Joya Eliezer, FAAP, São Paulo, 1990 to 1992.
Industrial Printing, taught by professor Maria Cecilia Peixoto de Castro, FAAP, São Paulo, 1990.
Painting and Printing, taught by professor Cibele Allegreti, FAAP, São Paulo, 1989.
Artesanal Paper, taught by professor Diva Elena Buss, Museum of Contemporary Art at the University of São Paulo MAC-USP, São Paulo, 1985.
Italian Art in the 19th Century, taught by professor Annatereza Fabris, USP, São Paulo, 1985.
Introduction to the History of Art in Brazil, under the coordination of professor Lisbeth Rebollo Gonçalves USP, São Paulo, 1984.
Post-Modern Art, taught by professor Alberto Beauttenmuller, Museum of Contemporary Art at the University of São Paulo, 1983.
COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS
Individual “In Natura and Archeology” - Funarte SP – Fundação Nacional de Artes de SP, exhibition selected by notice. Media and supports: assemblages and canvases in sand, seeds, twigs, bark, natural pigments, vegetables, ground rock crystals, charcoal. – 2002.
Individual “In Natura” - Caixa Econômica Cultural Ensemble – Salão Nobre -SP. Media and supports: assemblages of leaves, branches and seeds on canvas and site-specific installation canoe, sand and seeds. As part of the exhibition's proposal, workshops are held for state school children. – 2001.
Individual “NaturArte” - Casa Eucatex -SP – media and supports: assemblages of leaves, branches and seeds on canvas. As part of the exhibition's proposal, workshops are held for state school children. – 2001.
Layers Collective Exhibition - curated by Mariana Leme. Tato Gallery. -SP, 2022.
Virtual exhibition at Galeria Eixo Arte - RJ, 2022.
Collective Exhibition The meetings, The Contingencies - curated by Mariana Leme. Galeria Tato -SP, 2021.
Virtual exhibition. Labyrintus Gallery – MG, 2021.
Virtual exhibition Arte Vida Arte Project – Women are Art. Ava Galeria de Arte – RJ, 2021.
Collective Exhibition A Book About Death, digital art – postcards. Brazilian Sculpture Museum – MUBE – SP 2010.
From Natural to Smart Technology – exhibition of In Natura works at Espaço Cultural Tecnofeal - SP, 2009.
Collective Exhibition - First Floor Space, São Paulo, 2008.
In Natura and Archeology Series Exhibition, at Espaço Armando Cerello - Campos do Jordão – SP, 2007.
Emotions of Viril Force, curated by Carmem E. Pousada - Espaço Cultural Vila Über – SP, 2006.
Collective Exhibition Brazilian Academy of Art, Culture and History – International Women’s Day, 2005.
Brasil Artshow exhibition, promoted by Galeria 22, at the Brazilian Sculpture Museum-MUBE. São Paulo, 2004.
22nd Contemporary Artists Exhibition, Sociarte, curated by Enock Sacramento. São Paulo, 2004.
Brasilis Exhibition. Expressions and Contours of Nature Project. Production and curation Carmem E. Pousada and Judith Klein, Paris – France, 2003.
21st Contemporary Artists Exhibition - Sociarte. São Paulo, 2002.
Collective Exhibition Casa da Fazenda do Morumbi. São Paulo, 2001.
Collective Exhibition “Contemporâneos Brazil” at Amazonas Galery, New York, 2000.
19th Collective Exhibition of the Sociarte de Artistas Contemporâneos. São Paulo, 2000.
1st Exhibition of Independent Visual Artists promoted by Atelier Alternativo and Agência Visual, at the Syrian Arab Cultural Center in Brazil. São Paulo, 1999.
“Contemporâneo” exhibition at Galeria Jo Slaviero, São Paulo, 1999.
17th Collective Exhibition of the Sociarte de Artistas Contemporâneos. São Paulo, 1998.
1st Visual Arts Salon in the City of São Paulo - North, with support and coordination from the Liceu de Artes e Ofícios de São Paulo, 1998.