UPCOMING ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
Here you can find some of artist profiles who are participating in Casa Na Ilha Residency Program. Keep checking as we will be adding artists over the next few weeks!
SYD ROSS - WRITER AND PRODUCER
USA
Syd Ross is a writer and producer based in New York City, originally from Canton, Georgia. She studied Creative Writing at the University of Georgia and later earned her Master’s in Emerging Media from the New Media Institute.
Syd is currently working on a collection of narrative essays and a screenplay. In her writing, she aims to entertain herself, emphasizing humor, desire, and playfulness. She draws inspiration from her life, relationships, memories, and dreams.
Professionally, she works as a Creative Producer, leading editorial and commercial shoots for brands and artists. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going dancing, and playing basketball.
KATE BAE - VISUAL ARTIST
(USA/South Korea)
Kate Bae is a multi-disciplinary immigrant artist based in NYC and South Korea, working in painting, installation, and sculpture. Her art, shaped by a childhood struggle with excoriation disorder and recent observations of climate change with Jeju's Sea Women, explores anxiety and environmental harmony.
Bae holds an MFA from RISD and a BFA from SAIC. She founded Women's Cactus for the Arts and has exhibited internationally, including at the Jeju Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum. Her work has received support from the Puffin Foundation, Real Art Award, and Ora Lerman Trust, alongside residencies at institutions like the Golden Foundation and Mass MoCA. Bae's art aims to connect her history with a call to appreciate our planet's fragility and the interconnectedness of human experience and the environment.
ALEX DAUD - SONGWRITER, MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST AND RADIO DJ
Brazil/U.S.A
Alex Daud is a Brazilian-American songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and radio DJ. Originally raised in Miami, FL, she now lives at the foot of the Catskill mountains in New York State, where she writes music with her band The Fascinating Chimera Project, and hosts a monthly radio show on Wave Farm Radio titled “A Frequently Visited Dream.” Her songwriting style melds together introspective dream pop with ambient instrumentals and Latin rhythms. The heart of her music practice lies in her lifelong passion for playing instruments (taking the word “play” very literally) and experimenting with recording technique.
NICOLE SUNDAY - VISUAL ARTIST
U.S.A
Nicole is a self taught artist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. She is a painter who works primarily with acrylics, but also dabbles with pen & ink, and photography. Nicole has been painting and doodling since she was a little kid, but she started her art career in 2018 with teaching art classes. After teaching she moved to selling her paintings at local festivals, and then to local art galleries. Nicole finds inspiration in nature, any form of moving water, music, and others. During her residency in Brazil, Nicole hopes to find inspiration in the beauty of nature, as well as meeting artists from different cultures and learning from them.
SALLY ZORI - MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST (music, theatre, video, photo)
Iraq/Canada
My name is Sally Zori and I am a transgender Iraqi (They/Them/Their) multi-disciplinary artist born in Baghdad, raised in the United Arab Emirates and different parts of Canada. Today, I live on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
At the age of 11, I picked up my first drum, the Doumbek (middle eastern goblet drum), and never stopped. Since then I have become a multi-instrumentalist session, live, and touring musician for almost 30 years performing with a wide range of artists (from local musicians to big names like Aretha Franklin) all over the world (Sydney Festival, Dublin Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and many more). My music career didn't stop there, I've had a chance to compose for film, as well be a music director and sound design theatre shows and projects.
I am also a video artist and producer. I began creating content for bands, non-profit orgs, and social ventures, and have now shifted my practice to video projection design for theatre. I feel very at home with a camera in my hand (a gift passed down from my father) and recently have been feeling myself called to follow that creative practice. I'm hoping to explore and develop my photography skills as well as further my video practice during my time at Casa Na Ilha. I look forward to connecting with the land in Ilhabela, the other artists at the residency, and nurture my creative expression.
MIGUEL MARCHETERRE-PINA - MUSICIAN ILLUSTRATOR & WORLD-BUILDER
Canada/Angola
Miguel Marcheterre-Pina is a Québéco-Angolan interdisciplinary artist involved within the music industry as a musician, illustrator, writer and world-builder. Founded in 2020, his current musical project, VOLUBILIS, consists of an ambitious endeavour interweaving extreme metal and visual arts. Immersed in its own self-created universe, VOLUBILIS’ narratives discuss themes of nature, grief and faith through the rasp of distorted instruments. The project’s lyrical and visual identity brilliantly reflect the intricacy of the music, and Miguel’s incredibly detailed, monochromatic illustrations are a testament of dedication to his craft as world-builder. Drawing most of his inspiration from comic books, Miguel works predominantly with fine pens and incorporates storytelling in his work, inviting the viewer to dig deeper into the lore surrounding VOLUBILIS. Miguel’s visual art practice also expands into acrylic painting, photography, animation and digital illustration. Based in Tiohtià:ke (Montréal), Canada, he also recently expanded his artistic practice in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia, where his work has been highly acclaimed by the local metal community.
SAINT JAMES - OIL PAINTER
U.S.A.
James is a surrealist oil painter and storyteller whose work explores the connections between nature, mythology and symbolism. She blends research with intuition, creating layered compositions where elements like bees, serpents and oysters add depth and meaning to her narrative. At Casa na Ilha, she looks forward to immersing herself in the island's landscape, letting its textures and rhythms take shape in the next evolution of her work.
@jameslovesplanet
NAW NHKUM - FIGURATIVE ARTIST
Myanmar/U.S.A.
Naw Nhkum (b. 1999) is a figurative artist born and raised in Myanmar and currently based in Fort Worth, TX. Nhkum holds a BFA from Southern Methodist University (SMU) and is planning his MFA journey in 2026.
Nhkum explores identity, resilience, and liberation. Focusing on dynamic human forms, Nhkum uses raw anatomical details to evoke intensity and emotion. Through painting and printmaking, he depict freedom—not as easily attained, but as a journey shaped by struggle and perseverance. The color red, a recurring motif, represents Nhkum’s cultural identity and the visible and unseen violence that shapes our world. Inspired by Japanese action painter Miwa Komatsu, Nhkum strives to create immersive, large-scale works that command space with boldness and emotion.
CAMDEM FIRE WORKS - DIASPORA EXCHANGE UPCOMING ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
Camdem Fireworks is a community based arts organization based in Camden's Waterfront South District, New Jersey. In partnership with Casa Na Ilha, this is the group of artists selected and supported by the organization to participate in the residence experience.
BRITTANY ANNE BAUM - PAINTER AND ILLUSTRATOR
USA
American painter and illustrator Brittany Anne Baum, born 1984 in Camden New Jersey, is an artist known for her bold and imaginative paintings of female subjects. She primarily works with oil paints, pastels, markers, and colored pencils from her art studio based in the Philadelphia region.
Her body of works typically feature medium to larger scale portrait and scenic pieces inspired by vintage editorial works and Afrocentric elements. Brittany is best known for her whimsical portraits of black women, and explores the creation of imaginary subjects in unique compositions, akin to playing with Barbie’s. She has participated in notable exhibitions such as the "215/610 CONTEMPORARY Juried Exhibition of Regional Emerging Artists" held at Delaware County Community College in 2022. Additionally, she was chosen for a public art installation at the Walter Rand Transportation Center in Camden, New Jersey in 2023 and selected for a year long fellowship with Mural Arts Philadelphia in 2024.
Brittany's artistic talent has garnered attention from private collectors and gallery patrons who have collected her work.
Fashion, makeup, sparkly jewelry, and cultural adornments and traditions from my African American upbringing are the main focus of my current series of works. My art explores the creation of imaginary female subjects in unique compositions, akin to playing with Barbie’s. Through painting, I delve into the realm of constructing characters, each with their own story and presence, much like the experience of crafting narratives with dolls. By intertwining imagination with visual expression, I aim to challenge perceptions of beauty, identity, and representation, inviting viewers to engage with these constructed realities and perhaps find echoes of their own narratives within these painted worlds.
Yet at the heart of my work lies a deep appreciation and reverence for afrocentricity. Through my art, I hope to create a sense of connection and pride that celebrates the beauty and diversity of black culture, inviting viewers from all walks of life to appreciate and honor the rich tapestry that it represents.
With each story I piece together through imaginative play, I aim to create pieces that evoke fascination as well as inviting viewers to engage in conversations about identity, culture, and the complexities of the human experience. My dedication to creating vibrant and connected worlds through my art is a testament to my belief in the profound impact that artistic expression can have on society. It is my hope that my pieces serve as catalysts, bridging gaps, breaking down barriers, and ultimately fostering a more inclusive and empathetic world.
LASHA STEWART - MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST
U.S.A
Lasha Stewart (b. 1999, Atlanta, GA) works in Philadelphia as a Black American artist. Lasha graduated from Drake University with a BA where she majored in Studio Art, with a concentration in Drawing. She participated in the Summer Undergraduate Residency at the New York Academy of Art, where her art was featured in a final group exhibition. Lasha received her MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). She is currently working at Camden FireWorks Gallery as the Artistic Manager. There, Lasha curates exhibitions that are meaningful and that center around topics of Environmental Justice, Sense of Place, and Identity and Belonging.
Her work centers around themes of identity, societal struggles, and emotions. Lasha enjoys using found objects and materials ranging from tires to slinkies to secondhand fabrics. The use of these materials is just as important as the narratives that she instills into her pieces. Her work is currently centered around surrealist figurative painting on second-hand fabrics.
DE’VON DOWNES - PUBLIC ART, WATERCOLOR & JEWELRY
U.S.A
De’von Downes is a non-binary artist from South Jersey who creates impactful works in watercolor, public art, and jewelry. Their portraiture focuses on the black experience, weaving in symbolism from folklore and nature. They’ve contributed to projects with Mural Arts, Atlantic City Arts Foundation, Made in America, Glassboro Public School, and Camden FireWorks, leaving permanent murals across various locations.
Before muralism, De’von studied Art Therapy, worked as an Arts Coordinator, and conducted community-based workshops, emphasizing wellness and emotional literacy. Their belief in influencing change through inclusive, educational art, drives them to challenge norms and use public art as a platform for inspiration and education.
De’von is co-founder of Philly Queer Life Drawing, and a resident artist at Camden FireWorks. They are currently still based out of South Jersey/The Greater Philadelphia region.
CHANELLE RENÉ - CONTEMPORARY FIGURATIVE PAINTER AND MURAL ARTIST
U.S.A.
Chanelle René is an award-winning New Jersey contemporary figurative painter and mural artist. Her use of vibrant colors and painterly brush strokes in oils and mixed media often celebrate the feminine figure to create narrative and engaging works from original canvases to large scale murals. Chanelle has exhibited nationally and internationally with works held in private and public collections.
Acclaimed for "Grant Street Beach" an oil painting series that journeys the historical Black beach of Cape May, New Jersey from segregation to a tradition of choice. Chanelle draws inspiration from her own family photographs and those of other local Black families. The series celebrates joyful everyday moments of African-American beachgoers from the 1920s topresent through the lens of nostalgia, family connection and perseverance. "Grant Street Beach" has exhibited at Cape May MAC and Arts Council of Princeton.
A self-taught artist, who in her 40s embraced the 'pandemic pause' to transition from a 20+ year career in public relations/digital marketing to profesional artist and entrepreneur. A true believer that anyone can ‘shine your vibe' at any stage of life, Chanelle's artwork embodies endless possibilities. Select media features include CBS Philadelphia, ABC Philadelphia, Cape May Magazine and The Curator's Salon. Chanelle serves as a Board of Trustee for WheatonArts and has worked with several museums, education and community outreach programs such as: Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibition, AtlantiCare. Atlantic City Arts Foundation, Noyes Arts Garage, Mighty Writers, Appel Farm Arts & Music Center, Artworks Trenton. WheatonArts. Cape May MAC. LIT Youth Workforce Development, Ocean City Arts Center, Atlantic Cape Community College
Website:chanellerene.com
Instagram:@beingchanellerene
ALICI SOL - MUSICIAN
Brazil/U.S.A.
Alici is a New York based musician originally from Belo Horizonte Brazil trying to redefine the idea of what Bossa Nova and Trip Hop sounds like to a contemporary audience, breathing new life into Brazilian inspired R&B and jazz.
MICHAEL MACKENZIE - PLAYWRITING
UK/Canada
Michael Mackenzie’s plays have been produced across Canada, in the U.K. (including BBC radio), in French (Quebec and France), in Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany and Austria.
He has directed and written/co-written two feature films which were variously invited to Sundance, TIFF, Festival de Nouveau Cinema Montreal (closing film), the San Francisco Film Festival, Tokyo (finalist), Copenhagen and Lisbon. Both films had Canadian theatrical releases, one was nominated for Best Direction at the Quebec Jutra Awards.
He was dramaturge and script editor for the Cirque du Soleil show ‘Ka’ (the MGM Grand, Los Vegas) as well as ‘Toruk’ (Cirque de Soleil and James Cameron) and ‘Hangzhou’ (the Cirque’s first resident show in China). He has worked with Robert Lepage as dramaturge/translator/writer on a number of projects which subsequently toured North America, Europe and Asia.
Upcoming productions include ‘L’Empire de Castor: a history of the Hudson Bay Company’ (co- writer) playing at Théâtre de la Bordée (Quebec City), Jan-Feb 2026 and Espace Libre (Montreal) March 2026, and ‘The Candor of Dinosaurs’ at Centaur Theatre (Montreal) in Oct-Nov 2026.
Mackenzie has a PhD (in Histoire et Sociopolitique de Science) from Université de Montréal and has published a number of scholarly papers and a book (with Jorge Sabato) on political economy, science policy and the environment. A recent collaboration with Leonard Nakamura on U.S.economic policy appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, December 2021.
https://www.mmackenzietheatrevirtuel.com/
MIA BORDERS - SINGER/SONGWRITER
U.S.A.
New Orleans native Mia Borders is a renowned singer-songwriter who has captivated audiences with her soulful voice and electrifying performances. Her critically acclaimed releases showcase powerful vocals, thoughtful songwriting, and a dynamic presence. Her catalogue includes three EPs, seven LPs, and various singles and live albums - all released under her label, Blaxican Records. During her stay in Brazil, she’ll begin working on her next release.
CHRISTIANA CASTILLO - POET, EDUCATOR, CULTURAL WORKER & GARDENER
Mexico/Brazil/U.S.A.
Christiana Castillo (she/ella) is a Mexican-Brasilian-American poet, educator, cultural worker, and gardener born in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, raised in Southeastern Michigan, and currently based out of Nashville, TN. She is currently obtaining her MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) at Vanderbilt University.
At Casa Na Ilha Christiana will be working on a multimedia poetry project creating space for her identities as a Mexican-Brasilian-American, as a woman of color, as a sister, daughter, granddaughter, great-granddaughter, and hopefully as a good ancestor in the making. As much as her poems are about personal and cultural documentation, they are also about transformation. During her residency she will hold this quote close, “Nepantla is a limited space, a space where you are not this or that but where you are changing.” – Gloria Anzaldúa
CHEYENNE ISOLA - VISUAL ARTIST
U.S.A.
Cheyenne Isola is an oil painter based in the East Bay of San Francisco. Her painting style has evolved through a blend of diverse influences, ranging from contemporary fashion designers to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Drawing inspiration from Neoclassical art, Isola merges sacred imagery with elements of modern Americana, creating stylized portraits that reflect her view on life.
JULIET KING - ART THERAPIST, EDUCATOR & RESEARCHER
U.S.A.
I am thrilled to announce that I’ll be joining the Casa Na Ilha Artist Residency to explore the intersection of nature, neuroscience, and transpersonal inquiry in art therapy.
With nearly three decades as an art therapist, educator, and researcher, my work bridges neuroscience, neuroaesthetics, and the creative process to deepen our understanding of psychological healing.
During this residency, I’ll be:
🧠 Expanding my NeuroArts Toolkit—a clinical decision-making tool translating the neuroscience for mental health professionals.
📖 Drafting a new manuscript on brain-body-behavior connections and the science of art-based interventions.
🎨 Engaging in large-scale painting as a way to visualize the internal process, exploring how our natural environment shapes and mirrors our psychic systems.
🌎 Exploring how nature and ecosystems serve as metaphors for resilience, connection, and transformation in mental health.
This residency will be a catalyst for new insights that merge science, art, and ecological awareness, shaping future research, tools, and education in the field of therapeutic arts.
@tertiaryprocess
SUSANNE MARINS - ACTOR & SINGER SONGWRITER
Finland
Susanne Marins is an actor and singer songwriter from Vaasa, Finland.
She graduated from the Theatre Academy in Helsinki in 2005 and has since worked at several theaters in Finland. In spring 2022, she was awarded the Stina Krook Scholarship for her performing arts.
In addition to acting, she has made music from her poems, storytelling performances and the art film project KINTSUGI -Artfilms about loss. Right now she is working on a Musical storytelling performance named WILD, about sexuality, liberation and anger.
She focuses on the vulnerability and complexity of the human being when creating her art. She wants to talk about what hurts and touches, what we do not always dare to talk about.
At the writing workshop at Casa na Ilha she will start a project with the aim of creating a cross-art performance inspired by the work of artist Patti Smith.
Instagram: @susannemarins
ELEANOR HALL - WRITER
Australia
Eleanor Hall is an emerging writer based in Australia. Her writing explores the complexity of modern friendships, relationships and all the shades in-between.
She will be using this residency to work on completing her first novel amongst the inspiration of nature and other artists. In her spare time she works as a doctor and loves painting and hiking.
ZEINA FAHED - DANCER & WRITER
Palestina/Lebanon
Zeina is Palestinian born and raised in Lebanon, while happy about her roots and belonging, she also considers herself a citizen of the world. Zeina has more than a decade of professional work experience spanning various thematic and technical domains in the fields of environmental health, humanitarian aid, environmental justice, and development. Zeina is also an amateur dancer and writer. She has a passion for dancing and dabke (Levantine folk dance), and she has been dancing multiple styles since a young age, ranging from oriental, latin, and contemporary dance. Additionally, Zeina has an interest in writing, specifically about her realizations, contemplations, and beliefs. Zeina is a passionate positive person who likes to engage in as many experiences as possible while being alive and capable, on several levels, be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. She admires art and culture in their different forms, music, poetry, theater, food, etc., and likes to explore countries and cultures. Brazil has been on her travel bucket list, and what better way to visit it while joining a residency, sharing home with other artists, exchanging and creating unforgettable memories.
ROSANNE LAMMERS -VISUAL ARTIST
The Netherlands
I’ve loved making art and painting for as long as I can remember. In the past few years, I’ve traveled to different parts of the world, and all landscapes and cultures I’ve seen have influenced my creativity in many ways. My inspiration comes mainly from nature and the intricate patterns that exist around us. In my work, I aim to capture the spirituality and mysticism I feel in the world around us, blending the beauty of the physical with the ethereal and unseen.
IG - @roorooorror
BRE’ - MULTIMEDIA ABOLITIONIST ARTIST
Turtle Island - Northern Paiute Land/Western Shoshone Lands
Hi im Bre’ im 24yrs old currently residing in turtle island [america] on northern Paiute land/ western Shoshone lands commonly known as Las Vegas, NV. I'm a black femme multimedia abolitionist artist. The mediums I work with range from digital/physical collaging, photography, oil/acrylic painting, writing, beading, sewing, ink, wire wrapping from recycled copper, upcycling, bass,drum, and dance. I love the outdoors doing archery, going hiking, skating, swimming. Nature heals me. I am a poet, a water protector, a land defender who will always fight for climate/land justice & human rights for all.
MALIKAH PHILLIPS - SINGER/SONGWRITER
U.K.
Malikah is a singer/ songwriter and instrumentalist. Malikah's music is completely self made and acts as a form of therapy for her, a way to process her world and environment. She has been writing for what feels like her entire life and has always been profoundly drawn to music. She is currently at the tail end of her bachelors degree in creative musicianship and is ready to start sharing and performing her music looking to find her audience and like minded lovers of art. Malikah seeks to spend her time in Casa Na Iha Reconnecting with her creativity, finding new inspirations outside of the busy London city life, slowing down and stepping outside of her comfort zone
SUSAN DE CASTRO - VISUAL ARTIST
U.S.A.
Susan is an assistant professor and Program Coordinator of Digital Multimedia Design at Touro University in New York City. She has been teaching art and digital design classes there for 28 years, and during a Spring sabbatical, Susan will go to Casa Na Ilha, in February, 2025. Susan will be returning to Casa Na Ilha for the second time.
She has a BFA from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, and an MA degree from New York University. Susan has also studied at the School of Visual Arts, and is a member and student of the Art Student's League of New York. She regularly exhibits in group shows with the National Association of Women Artists, the Art Student’s League of New York, and on Fire Island in New York. Susan received a Merit's Scholarship from the Art Students League, a Red Dot (Best in Show) and honorable mentions for her paintings in the Art Students League's Concours Shows. She paints in oil and mixed media. A recurring theme in her work revolves around her passion for Brazil; the nature, the colors, and Rio Carnaval. During her residency in Ilhabela, Susan plans to immerse herself in the natural surroundings and local activities of Ilhabela, and to interpret her visions into new, energetic, works.
MONICA MCGARRY - MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST & EDUCATOR
Canada
Monica McGarry is a multidisciplinary artist and educator based in Vancouver, Canada. She works in a variety of mediums, including collage, graphic design, video, and social practice. She currently works in inclusive education, with a focus in neurodiversity. Monica is interested in the intersection of art, community, and social change.
IG - @decoupagedump
JUDE MARKEY-SMITH - MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERFORMANCE ARTIST
U.S.A
Jude Markey-Smith is an emerging multidisciplinary performance artist from New York. As creator and interpreter, his dynamic works often combine music, dance and text to explore issues of historical fiction and masculinity.
In his practice, Jude strives to expose truths. He does so in a nonlinear fashion. This investigation can take on many forms, but often presents itself as a multifaceted presentation–– one that requires deep research and then comes alive in kinesthetic space. As a maker, he is interested in defying disciplinary categories in order to explore the unbounded field of performance, and its unparalleled potential for relevance. He creates through calculated preparation, an embrace of spontaneity and sheer force of will. He collaborates deeply, learns from others and responds accordingly. What emerges is always unknown, but meaningful and intriguing to him.
He graduated from Bard College with a BA in Multidisciplinary Studies: Dramatic Arts and Histories, where he won the Ana Itelman Prize For Choreography for his theses: End Of The Trail and Ghost Town, and was most recently LaPlasita’s first artist-in-residence in Seville, Spain where he developed a work entitled Limites (453”). He will work on doing experiential research and generating material for his new dance-theater piece on distorted themes of paradise, entitled Fountain Of Youth, in his time at Casa Na Ilha.
MARTIN BARFOOT - VISUAL ARTIST
UK
Martin is a Visual Artist who has been lured away, somewhat, from his pre-occupation with photography and is now more ‘drawn’ towards other mediums. He is inspired by the spontaneity of mono-printing, the possibilities offered by collage and the fluidity and transparency of watercolour paint. Along with printmaking, collage and painting, Martin is also captivated by drawing, sculpture, mark-making, ceramics and appreciating the imperfections of the hand-made. He is quite experimental and enjoys giving some creative processes a gentle nudge in order to produce an unexpected outcome.
His work is often inspired by human interdependency with nature and concerns relating to absence and presence in the changing environment. Some past projects have explored themes of memory, fragility and extinction, but he feels there is always room for the whimsical. A tree filled Oxford park was the chosen location for a project called ‘Walking with Squirrels, (not Swimming with Dolphins)’, a documented journey following squirrels to discover their secrets.
https://martinbarfoot.carbonmade.com
NOELLE ASTRID ONDO METHOGO - PHOTOGRAPHER
Gabon
I am a photographer from Libreville, Gabon, whose artistic journey began at the tender age of 14. My art is a vibrant mood board of influences, blending elements from movies, magazines, music videos, drawings and fashion shows of the early 2000s and 90s. This fusion creates a nostalgic but contemporary aesthetic in my art.
Specializing in portrait photography, my photography is mainly to celebrate womanhood, beauty, and strength. My images have dynamic compositions, close ups and striking colors such as red and blues.
I love blending traditional photography with digital techniques I have learned over the years with Photoshop. I often use these editing techniques to give my work a timeless, vintage magazine vibe.
I am currently based in Houston, Texas, where I am completing my bachelors. I have been balancing trying to start a photography page and careers with my studies. After graduating in the spring of 2025, I am very excited and honored to travel to Ilhabela to fully dedicate all my time on my art and building my career.
CHARLES D JONES & CORINNE JONES - MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTISTS.
U.S.A.
Corinne and Charles both have solo careers as artists/musicians but occasionally come together to work on themes that respond to the unique environment of special places. They have followed this theme in Ter Appel in the north of Holland, 1987, with a project that culminated In a performance of prints, sculpture, poetry and music in a monastery converted to a contemporary art space achieving a balance. Their idea for this residency is to create work that directly responds to the unique environment of Ilhabela with drawings and studies that may be used for larger works in painting and original prints.
Charles D. Jones is an artist/musician living and working in Nacogdoches, Texas. He creates visual art, books and music.
I completed my MFA at the Universidad de las Americas, Mexico D.F., an Master of Art in New Mexico after a stint in the US Military. I have been playing music on guitar, banjo and fiddle for many years. I chased flamenco and still play, along with fiddle in a band that plays old time American and Scottish and Irish music. I combine printmaking with fine press printing and like to work with poets in print and accompanying reading with guitar. I have been an active exhibiting artist for most of my adult life.
In my career as an artist I have been inspired to make art with a variety of media according to the perceived content of the idea. Some ideas are painting ideas some are musical or verbal. I have tried to work freely with what medium that seemed suitable. I work with all the printmaking media but prefer the releif print. I make books the old fashioned way with hand set type and relief plates and blocks
My art and concerns are deeply connected to the human condition, relationships and struggle.I grew up with books and was strongly influenced by artists like William Blake, Barry Moser and Leonard Baskin. I relish working with poets and think of my work as creating a "duet" with image and text
Corinne has an MFA in painting and drawing, taught art at the University level and has also been an active exhibiting artist with an extensive exhibition record. Her work has encompassed a wide variety of subjects but always returns to the natural world. A notable series concentrated on extinct birds that used soil as a medium.
‘Over time I have discovered a personal need to create drawings that honor the longstanding requirement that artwork have a sense of presence that transcends subject and materials. Important to this idea is for form and content to be embedded in one another; and without that essential quality, the work will be incomplete. My question and journey then, is how does content take on physical form and what artistic choices are needed to achieve the desired effect.
I explore nature subjects through uncomplicated compositions and the use of multiple materials to develop a luminous and layered surface. These choices suggest the subjects’ innate strength and fragility while also addressing drawing concerns of mark making and ideas of space and form. This is my approach to understanding the world around me'
IEISHA SWEATMON - SCULPTOR
U.S.A.
Ieisha Sweatmon is a sculptor born and raised south of Atlanta, Georgia. She has been sculpting for 2.5 years. Her sculptures are an expression of herself and how she views the beauty of nature and blackness. She loves to show the beauty of her culture in her art. Her goal is to start traveling the world to learn from other African descendants in other countries. By learning more about their culture and experiences, she hopes to create many sculptures to display the uniqueness of blackness around the world.
TIM GRIESHABER - VISUAL ARTIST
Germany
I was born in 2006 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Since my childhood, I have had difficulties with socialization and expressing emotions. During the Corona pandemic in 2020, I spent a lot of time alone in my room, which led me to start painting. The canvas has now become my favorite medium of expression. I almost exclusively paint in large formats, using a mix of acrylic, oil paint, oil pastel, markers, and graffiti. My expressive works usually reflect my temporary existence. I process experiences such as police violence, the search for an exciting life, personalities, parties, and the things that accompany a teenager growing up. The associated emotions and feelings can be felt in the paintings. So far, I have had three exhibitions, including one in Zurich, Switzerland. At the beginning of 2026, I plan to study art in Frankfurt or Vienna, at the university where Daniel Richter teaches.
NERJIS HASSAN - MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST
Iraq/Canada
Nerjis, an artist and a recent art history graduate possesses a multifaceted creative identity. A self-taught artist driven by an insatiable curiosity, Nerjis thrives on exploration and learning. Her artistry is a testament to her penchant for diving headfirst into new processes, allowing experimentation and imperfection to flourish. Themes of duality, nature, and the surreal form the cornerstone of these creations, offering viewers a thought-provoking glimpse into her unique perspective, inviting the viewer to delve into their own. Nerjis' journey is a fusion of academic knowledge and self-discovery, resulting in a body of work that creatively weaves together diverse influences.
IG: MAD.DUALITY
CHARLOTTE HUG - INTER-MEDIA ARTIST, COMPOSER, IMPROVISER AND MUSICIAN
Switzerland
Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council supports this residency.
Swiss-born Charlotte Hug is an inter-media artist, composer, improviser and musician of the extreme. Her innovative solo performances in distinctive locations have created an international furore. With her inter-medial compositions, room-scores and Son-Icons (visual sounds) she created a new genre of multidisciplinary music and art. Having completed her studies in fine arts and classical music, she won divers awards such as “artist- residencies in London, Paris, Berlin, Johannesburg, Shanghai. She was “artiste étoile” (star artist) at the world-renown Lucerne Festival and nominated for the Classic:Next - Innovation Award. Hug is a lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Science and Art and head of the international postgraduate studies Creation & Scenario in Music at the Zurich University of the Arts. Hug is fully active as a concert performer, soloist, improviser, composer and conductor of her own works at major festivals worldwide. www.charlottehug.com
Specific locations and water in its various aggregate states are the main inspiration for my transdisciplinary work as a musician, composer, improviser and visual artist. Working outside will be the focus during the residency. I will record, play, sing, and draw in nature, close to and in the Atlantic Ocean. I am excited to create and start a new artistic transdisciplinary work, TIDAL SHAPING, at the residency at Casa Na Ilha.
PAZ GRIOT - MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST
USA
Paz Griot is a spoken word poet, visual artist, actor, playwright, and performer originally from New York City. He has been living in Istanbul since 2014 and traveling the world since high school, including the United States Peace Corps and the University of Hyderabad, India. He has written and published several poems, performed in countless plays and open mic events, written seven plays and exhibited his paintings, collages, and sculptures in six gallery shows in New York City at the Art Students League. He was awarded the Blue Dot Award for innovation in visual arts in 2011 by the Art Students League and has been published in the Bosphorus Review of Books and the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal. He has worked in a variety of mediums, including watercolor and acrylic, and enjoys painting in both abstract and realistic styles with elements of spirituality, world exploration, architecture, and nature. His inspirations include Marc Chagall, Faith Ringgold, Paul Klee, Auguste Rodin, Izamu Noguchi, Claude Monet, David Hockney, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Frida Kahlo
During his time in residence, Paz intends to create a series of paintings with elements from art of the African diaspora, implementing the powerful, palpable symbolism of adinkra, the Orishas, and Candomble sacred stones combined with iridescent landscape paintings.
Paz has been captivated by the culture of Brazil for many years now. He always found that exploring cultures different from my own and landscapes and cities outside of my familiar comfort zone allows me to discover new approaches and perspectives that help me along my creative journey. He believes Brazil's brilliant capoeira dance and martial arts traditions, vibrant samba rhythms, rich spirituality in the Orishas of the Candomble tradition, and colorful landscapes can provide immense inspiration for new works. Last year, he had the opportunity to travel around Ghana, Rwanda, and Tanzania and was inspired profoundly by the spiritual meanings, intricate designs, and vibrant colors of the art he was seeing, as demonstrated in Ashante adinkra symbols and kente cloth. Brazil has a rich African arts heritage and community, and he believes this will inspire new work as he continues his creative journey.
ROJIA DADASHZADEH - MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST
Canada
Rojia Dadashzadeh, a multidisciplinary artist based in Vancouver, is known for her imaginative and whimsical pieces in sculpture, painting, drawing, and collage. Her art has been featured in various publications and exhibited across North America. For over a decade, she has taught visual and culinary arts at an International Baccalaureate school. With degrees from the University of Waterloo, Sheridan College, Le Cordon Bleu Paris, and UBC, including a Master of Arts in Art Education, she seamlessly integrates her teaching and artistic practice, each informing and enriching the other.
VICTORIA CHAVEZ - MULTIMEDIA ARTIST
U.S.A.
Victoria Chavez is a multi-media artist who dives into themes of spirituality, intellect, psychological behaviors, and mysticism. She has studies interior and graphic design. Her pieces often feature surreal and psychedelic imagery, which is imbued with spiritual symbolism and meaning. Through her art, Victoria aims to inspire others to explore the mystical and spiritual aspects of their own lives and to uncover mental and spiritual blockages that are stopping them from becoming their most happy and successful version of themselves.
HOLLY SEDGWICK - PAINTER
Canada/USA
My painting practice is an exploration of the unconscious and its effect on the relationship to people, places and things. Spontaneous life events evolve into imaginative environments, rich with vibrant colours in acrylic and oil, watercolour and pen. Dreams of Love, Humanity and Nature, Mythology and Spirituality are common themes. Currently, I am exploring the surrendering and uplifting of the spirit in relationship with Nature.
EMMA CHLUMECKY - OIL PAINTER & FIBRE ARTIST
Canada
Emma Chlumecky, a 21-year-old Canadian oil painter and fibre artist based in Windsor, Ontario, is currently in her thesis year pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Windsor. She specializes in oil painting, tufting, and sculpture, often combining these techniques into one artwork. Inspired by impressionism, she blends her realistic portraiture painterly style with touches of collage, fibers, and illustration, creating a distinctive style.
Emma’s creative practice delves into the intricate nuances of the coming-of-age experience, suffused with an undercurrent of innocence and a poignant touch of nostalgia. Through Emma’s work, she narrates their unique individuality, emphasizing the aspects that make each person truly special. Drawing inspiration from contemporary romanticism, interpreting these moments through the perspective of admiration. Emma’s vision is a heartfelt attempt to evoke profound emotions, particularly the bittersweetness that accompanies the inevitable passage of time, a sentiment deeply intertwined with human experience.
Emma plans to paint numerous mock-ups and works based on her experience in this little corner of Brazil at Casa Na Ilha. Her time at Casa Na Ilha will create an interesting period in her development as an artist.
GAVIN KEW - PAINTING AND PRINTMAKING
Zimbabwe/New Zealand
I am an Artist and a teacher. I was born in Zimbabwe and was trained at Rhodes university in South Africa. I now live and work in New Zealand and I work in ceramics painting and printmaking. I tend to work in cycles and themes and at the moment I am working on a series of prints inspired by the story of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. I have been fascinated by finials which is the ornament at the top of buildings and how this narrative is a reflection of the culture of the place it is situated. I plain to travel around Europe for 4 months from May and document these finials on my journey. These drawings and photographs will result in ceramic work that I intend to make on my return to New Zealand.
KATARINA BISHOP - PHOTOGRAPHY
Serbia/U.S.A
Katarina Bishop is a color analog photographer. She was raised by her mother from Serbia and her father from the United States. Growing up, she visited Serbia as often as possible to visit friends and family. At a young age she became a Serbian citizen. This officially made Serbia a second home and eventually, the conceptual foundation for her photography.
Her work explores the themes of home, change and romanticization. She seeks to have a deeper understanding of what it means to exist in our transient world. Where is home when it could be anywhere? Is home not a structure but a feeling of safety? Bishop wants to conceptually explore the idea of home as well as immerse herself in the journey. Her most recent move was across the United States from Boston, Massachusetts to Tucson, Arizona. This dramatic shift in environment provided the inspiration needed to continue her work.
She holds a BFA in Photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology and intends to pursue her MFA in Photography. In 2023 her work was exhibited both nationally and internationally in seven exhibitions.
HEATHER DEYLING - MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST
U.S.A.
Heather Deyling is an artist whose current and ongoing body of work, the “Invented Hybrids” series, includes sculpture, installation, works on paper and glass. Her studio practice is inspired by research and observation of natural forms, eco-fiction and climate change. She earned an MFA in painting from Tyler School of Art, Temple University and a BFA from Kent State University. Deyling has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the United States. Recent exhibitions include a solo show at the Peninsula Museum of Art in Burlingame, CA and group exhibitions at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, San Jose, CA and the Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL. Upcoming projects include solo exhibitions at Greenville Center for Creative Arts, Greenville, SC and Day and Night Projects in Atlanta, GA, as well as two-person exhibitions at the Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, Athens, GA and 621 Gallery, Tallahassee, FL. Deyling lives and works in Atlanta.
SAMANTHA DA SILVA – VISUAL ARTIST
Brazil/ U.S.A
Beneath her amiable personality burns a fire to express life through art and dialog. Samantha da
Silva (born 1978 Santos, São Paulo, Brazil) is a professional artist and educator living and working in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
Having traveled extensively and acquired (nearly) three citizenships, da Silva's paintings are a visual narrative of unrelenting feminine power and the exploration of the universal
experiences of abandonment, heritage and the eternal sense of home. Against the remarkable backdrop of the American West - a place as fierce as it is exquisite - da Silva navigates her paintings
with ritual, grace and quiet force.
Da Silva infuses her environment into her work using: iron-rich Utah dirt, salt from The Great Salt Lake, plaster, repurposed paint, metallic pigments and newspaper to create ethereal, textured
abstracts.
JUDITH KLAIN – PAINTER
U.S.A.
Judith Klain began painting as a teenager when she attended New York City’s Cooper Union weekend program for high school students in 1975. After many years’ hiatus, (raising and fostering kids, working in public health and homelessness services, getting a Masters degree…life) she began painting again when she found a community of other artists at San Francisco Art Institutes Adult Continuing Education.
“I felt as if I my soul got re-awakened. The kinship and stimulation I get from my teacher and fellow cohort of artists makes it possible for me to consistently experiment and grow in my work.”
Judith works in oils, acrylics, pastels, cold wax and collage. Her paintings which are abstract and abstract figurative depict the unconscious and pre-verbal path of her life. Her bold use of color and texture explode in emotion and vulnerability.
“The evolution of my work corresponds with my emotional and spiritual development. The arts have provided me the medium to resolve early traumatic experiences of which I have no words to express cognitively. It is cathartic.”
Judith’s work is shown regularly at City Arts Gallery, an artist’s coop in St. San Francisco. You can also schedule an appointment to view her work at her studio.
After retiring in 2016, Judith attended Tamalpa Institute and was certified as an Expressive Art Therapist. She works with clients one-on-one and is also available to do community workshops on relevant social and personal issues.
Art Heals!!!
While at Na Ilha Artist residency, Judith hopes to be inspired by the natural beauty, rhythm and life of the island and to incorporate that into her paintings and drawings. She is also hoping to collaborate with NGO’s through expressive arts to support social and personal causes through a joint yet to be determined artistic project.
SOFÍA ALRICH VEYTIA - PAINTER AND PRINTMAKER
Mexico
I explore the essence of our universe through amorphous figures made up of light and darkness. My current practice revolves around the relationship between physics, hermeticism, alchemy, and spirituality, focused on vibration, the spirit, and transcendence as dialogical concepts between the fields mentioned. I work mainly with abstraction in painting and printmaking as a means to represent what is outside of our sensible plane.
My interest in the similarities between Hermeticism and Quantum Physics is that they both look for the essential connections in the universe, one from a spiritual viewpoint and the other scientific. I believe that it is essential for human beings to understand that we are all connected, and not just to each other but also to nature. The main problems that we face today as mankind is that we are not empathetic and respectful to others and to the world we live in. man is not the center of this life, we are not superior beings, and we have to stop treating the world and the earth as something inferior to us, which has no apparent "consciousness". If we open our eyes and understand that we are all in essence the same we will treat our planet and all that lives within it with greater respect. We are intrinsically connected to every living being, and everything that exists.
This is what I seek to convey through the artistic representations that I will make during the residency. Through paintings and drawings. The series will continue a current exploration of representing "windows" to another reality, to the spiritual dimension of nature, to show that it is as alive as we are.
Instagram @sofialrich
PEICHIN CHIANG - ESSAYIST, FICTION WRITER AND JOURNALIST
Taiwan
PeiChin CHIANG was born in Taiwan, has lived in Singapore and India.
She is an essayist, fiction writer, and journalist responding to underrepresented people, social and
labor issues in Asia. Her most recent writing is the post-memory about rites of passage in the form of prose: “Uncover the shell”. The book she wrote records the process and details of a
traditional funeral in Taiwan and portrays the grief and condolence from the living, her, as a suicide survivor.
She also uses different media for creation, such as video and visual art installations. She once held an artist-in-residence exhibition in Matsu, Taiwan, and joint exhibition in the historic
district of Bopiliao, Taiwan.
She works as a storyteller and communicator in the public and business world. She obtained a Global MBA, ESSEC Business School (École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales) from
Singapore and France, Master and Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Chemistry from National Taiwan University.
LISA SEWELL – POETRY
U.S.A.
I am the author of several books of poetry, including Impossible Object, which received the Tenth Gate prize from Word Works press. I am currently working on a manuscript of poems titled “Dry Spell,” which focuses on endangered species and disappearing ecosystems. For this book, I am trying to develop a poetics that can address the experience of living in the midst of a sixth extinction event, with dangerous weather and a destabilized environment. The manuscript includes a series of poems about endangered species, like the California grizzly and the Florida panther, and also place-based poems that explore the cultural and ecological history of endangered environments like the Salmon River estuary in Oregon and the Colorado river in Arizona. I have also been working on a series of poems about the 18th century Dutch/German artist and naturalist, Maria Sibylla Merian, whose most famous prints are based on her stay in Suriname. I am excited to learn about the flora and fauna of the area around Casa Na Ilha and have a first-hand encounter with some of the plants and creatures that appear in Merian’s images from Suriname, like the Blue Morpho butterfly in this print.
SAMANTHA MORRIS – VISUAL ARTIST
U.S.A.
Samantha Morris was born in 1995 and grew up in Madison, Connecticut; she now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Morris graduated from The University of the Arts in 2017 with a BFA in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Painting and Drawing. In addition, she is continuing her graduate studies in the MFA Fine Arts program at Pratt Institute. Solo exhibitions include: Kanna Rými, Listhús Gallery in Ólafsfjörður, Iceland; and BFA Thesis Exhibition, The Space Between, The University of the Arts. Selected group exhibitions include Black and White, Site:Brooklyn, Paperworks, b.j spoke gallery and Space Invaders, Fountain Street Gallery among others. Morris’ work has been published in FreshPaint Magazine, Opción Magazine, ArtMaze Magazine and Underground Pool.
“My large monochromatic graphite drawings and prints suggest the experience of an individual traveling through a space. Exploring place through architecture, interiors, and plant life, I am fascinated by the feeling of light and its stillness. Through the labor intensive mark-making process, internal light emerges from the work. By questioning both specificity and ambiguity, the work exists in the in-between.”
JOE WARD – VISUAL ARTIST
U.S.A.
Joe Ward is a visual artist based in Brooklyn, New York and the principal and creative director of Joe Ward LLC, a digital and communications strategy group in New York City. He studied design at George Washington University (Washington, DC) and painting at the New York Studio School Of Drawing, Painting, And Sculpture (New York, NY). Using an abstract approach, Joe creates work with oil paint, acrylics, drawing, and digital.
MAISIE COUSINS – PHOTOGRAPHER
United Kingdom
I have lived in Britain my whole life, mainly in London. I am a full time practising artist, dividing my time between making personal work and also commercial work to pay the bills. Last year I was extremely lucky to have my first solo show at T J Boulting gallery in London, and to get the opportunity to photograph the musician Bjork - who was attracted to my visceral aesthetic. After a busy year I am focusing on meeting other artists, creating stronger ideas, developing my practice and travelling as much as possible. When I travel I am particularly drawn to Latin America, there is an energy there that really appeals to me and inspires my work.
When I travel, it is not the overall grand landscape scenes I am attracted to photograph - they do not even tempt me. I am drawn in by the smaller details that I believe are the true character & story in a place - wether that be a city, a jungle, a forest, a junk yard, a beach. Details like the flies & insects on rotten fruit, the rubbish left behind, the language of food and consumption, the human mark left behind on nature.
The everyday is what inspires me. What others see as mundane or disgusting, I am drawn too and use these to transform my surroundings, creating a semi faux reality. I have mostly done this in a studio set up, but following a residency in Columbia earlier this year, where I truly felt travelling helped me completely lose my ego & sense of self, I am more inspired to continue travelling & created these faux realities in a true setting - romanticising real places, people, objects whilst staying true to their natural core.
During this residency I would like to expand on these ideas (our relationship with food, waste and nature), but within the amazing setting of Brazil. I aim to make larger scale images, using fauna I would have no access to here in the U.K. I want to bring my studio set ups into real life.