Biography

As an undergraduate studying Visual Arts at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, I developed an interest in the relationship between politics and aesthetics, and how it visually manifests in symbolic places of power such as money. I started researching "oficial" banknotes, when I came across community currencies and became immediately fascinated by them – resulting in my masters dissertation. Brazil has over 100 different community banks, and is a unique case study in the subject, as social money has been a public policy for the development of low-income territories since 2003. Due to COVID-19, the capacity and potential of these local self-managed organizations have shown to be efficient in protecting communities through a cycle of solidarity that strengthens them – and their economy – as a whole. Therefore, for my PhD in Latin American Studies at Cambridge, I intend to expand my previous work, further understanding how these currencies impact their communities by shifting ideas of value, power, democracy and citizenship. More so, I aim to identify what methodologies ensure long-term success, in order to help expand this plural, horizontal and collaborative network that has formed in favor of a more just economic system.

Previous Education

Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Arts 2019
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Visual Arts 2016