Vanessa da Silva: Roda Viva

Exhibition

Roda Viva is an exhibition of newly commissioned works by Vanessa da Silva. 

Drawing inspiration from da Silva’s Brazilian heritage – family history, music, dance, and the legacy of Brazilian artists such as Hélio Oiticica – the work explores themes of identity, ancestry, destiny, joy and memory. 

 

Roda Viva, meaning ‘wheel of life’, references life in motion or the movement in life. The exhibition, which features textiles, sculptures and works on paper, is centred around the various cycles of lives, the histories carried from generation to generation, and the interconnectedness of past, present and future. 

The title also references the ‘roda de samba’ (circle of dance), where people gather together to dance, sing and play music, not only in street parties, but as a significant practice within religious ceremonies in Brazil. Such a circle, where the movement of bodies creates a vibration and rhythm, offers a powerful metaphor for collective existence and spiritual connection.

Challenging the formality of the space, colour, rhythm and movement combine to create a joyous visual and spatial experience, celebrating the expression of freedom. The sculptural forms invite reconsideration of our bodies as a permanent condition of experience. They present a site where spirit and reason intersect, exchange, decode, and fluctuate, attempting to make sense of all things worldly, and not. 

Roda Viva is curated by Kalliopi Tsipni Kolaza, Curator of Visual Arts, Mostyn. 

The exhibition is kindly supported by the Foundation Foundation, The Ampersand Foundation and the Henry Moore Foundation.

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Roda Viva
Performance Documentation
31st May 2025

Staged within the gallery space, the performance extended Roda Viva into a live, embodied experience. Developed in collaboration with choreographer Pepa Ubera who performed with the artist alongside a group of dancers living and working in Wales, the performance explored ancestral memory, longing, and the continuous cycles of transformation that shape our lives.

Through an interplay of movement, spoken word, sound and dance, the performers engaged directly with da Silva’s artworks, unfolding a dynamic relationship between body and space.

Garments and sound sculptures created by the artist accompanied the performance, forming a living expression of rhythm, ritual, and resonance. Through gesture, voice, and spirit, Roda Viva was brought to life, where life cycles continued to weave into time, and presence itself became a form of transformation.

Supported by: The Ampersand Foundation, Foundation Foundation and the Henry Moore Foundation.

Choreography: Pepa Ubera

Performed by: Rafael Braga, Vanessa da Silva, Angharad Harrop, River Hooson, Pepa Ubera, Siri Wigdel

Garments and sound sculptures: Vanessa da Silva

Videography: Filmage