Lícia Santos (b. 1998) grew up in Namibe, Angola, lived briefly in South Africa and Portugal and now lives and works in London, UK.
Lícia recently completed a Fine Art Master’s Degree in Painting at the Slade School of Fine Art at UCL. In 2020, she was awarded the Euan Uglow Slade Scholarship. In the same year, she completed a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art and History of Art at Goldsmiths University of London and gained the Gold Award in 2019. Prior to that, in 2017 she completed a one year Foundation course in Art and Design at London Metropolitan University.
Lícia submitted her self-portrait Flor do Deserto to Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2020 and was shortlisted to participate on series 7. She painted a portrait of her surprise sitter Jordan Stephens, and his dog Spike. Lícia has been part of group shows in London and Luanda and her work is currently on view at Slade 150, Past, Present and Future at UCL Octagon Gallery.
My practice recurrently revisits the body as a departure point for discussion and operates in a multidisciplinary way across drawing, painting and dance. My work takes inspiration from the familiar socio-cultural and geological landscape of Angola as a setting in which to explore, beyond the confinements of geography, our relationship to nature and understanding of ourselves.
My journey in Painting began with Portraiture, painting sitters mainly in oil on linen. More recently, I began exploring a semi-figurative style that combines the Old Masters oil painting techniques with African sand painting. I utilise sand, powdered pigments and other natural materials I collect on my trips. My work is developed upon encounters with people and inspired by the poetics of nature, especially the sea and the desert.
UPCOMING/ CURRENT EXHIBITION
Slade 150: Present, Past, Future:
Octagon Gallery, London, November 2021 - August 2022
CV
EDUCATION
2022 MA Fine Art (Painting), Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, London
2020 BA (First-Class) Fine Art and History of Art, Goldsmiths University, London
2017 Foundation Diploma (First-Class) Art & Design, Metropolitan University of London
AWARDS
2020 Euan Uglow, Slade Scholarship, London
2019 Gold Award, Goldsmiths University, London
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 Slade 150: Present, Past, Future, Octagon Gallery, UCL, London
2019 The Third Nature, Safehouse 2, Peckham, London
The Gold Award Exhibition, Stuart Hall Building, Goldsmiths, London
Interim Show, St James Hatcham Building, Goldsmiths, London
2017 Foundation Exhibition, The Cass, London Metropolitan University, London
Muarte, Art’z Restaurant and Lounge, Luanda
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2020 Portrait Artist of The Year, Contestant in Series 7 episode 7, Sky Arts, London
2015 Design a T-shirt Competition, Winner, Dance World Cup, Bucharest
INTERNSHIPS AND TRAINING
2020 Gold Award Arts Adviser, Trinity College, London
2019 Lina Iris Viktor Studio Internship, Autograph Gallery, London
This CV was last updated in February 2022. For specific enquiries, please get in contact.