Luiz Braga

Belém, Pará, Brazil, 1956.
Lives and works in Belém.

Luiz Braga, known as the “photographer of the Amazon,” develops his work as a visual diary of the Amazonian landscape and daily life, focusing on its symbolic aspects and the intersections between nature, architecture, and humanity. His artistic language oscillates between documentary and abstraction, avoiding stereotypical portrayals of the region. Braga’s use of intense equatorial light and the vibrant colors of ports and urban outskirts sets his work apart from the romanticized tropical imagery often associated with the Amazon. He also explores black-and-white photography with technical refinement, as seen in his Nightvisions series, where he uses infrared technology during the day to produce graphic-like images.

He represented Brazil at the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009) and has received awards such as the Leopold Godowsky Jr. Color Photography, Nikon Photo Contest International, and the Marcantonio Vilaça Award. Braga has held solo exhibitions at institutions including Galeria Leme, Instituto Tomie Ohtake, MAM-SP, SESC Pinheiros, and the Museum of UFPA. He has also taken part in major group exhibitions such as Afro-Atlantic Histories (MASP), Brasil Futuro (Museu Nacional da República), and The Praise of Vertigo (Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris). His work is part of several public collections including the Pérez Art Museum (Miami), MASP, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, and MAM-SP.

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Belém, Brazil, 1956. Lives and works in Belém, Brazil

EDUCATION

1975

1983 Architecture, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2025

Luiz Braga: imaginary archipelago (curated by Bitu Cassundé), IMS Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil

Amazonie: La vie au bord du fleuve (Paris Plage 2025), Maison des Célestins, Paris, France

2024

Luiz Braga: Colorista, Galeria Leme, São Paulo, Brazil

2021

Luiz Braga: Mask, mirror and shield (curated by Paulo Miyada and Priscyla Gomes), Instituto Tomie Ohtake, São Paulo, Brazil

2019

Interiors, portraits [and landscapes], Galeria Leme, São Paulo, Brazil

2017

Returning Humanized Nature (curated by Diógenes Moura), Vila Cultural Cora Coralina, Goiânia, Brazil

Water Mirror (curated by Bernardo Mosqueira), Galeria da Gávea, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2016

Returning Humanized Nature (curated by Diógenes Moura), Museu do Estado do Pará, Belém, Brazil

Light Array, Museu do Marajó, Cachoeira do Arari, Brazil

Sideral, Galeria Leme, São Paulo, Brazil

2015

Luminous Office. SESC Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil

XVI Art Prize at Escola Cidadã, Sesc Consolidation. São Paulo, Brazil

2014

Returning Humanized Nature (curated by Diógenes Moura), SESC Pinheiros, São Paulo, Brazil

2013

Light Delivery, Casa das 11 Janeias, Belém, Brazil

2012

Nightvisions, Galeria Leme, São Paulo, Brazil

2011