Raquel Da Silva

Raquel Da Silva (B.1991, Canada) is a visual artist and designer based in Toronto. She graduated from The Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD U) with a BFA in 2020. Raquel’s work is focused on creating abstract environments with 2 and 3 dimensional forms and shapes. Selected recent exhibitions include The Meaning of Things presented by New Currency and SHEEEEP at Collision Gallery 2021, Unquestionably Something presented by Mirror Mirror Gallery 2020 and An Index presented by Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, 2019. In 2021 she was artist in residence for PADA Studios and Residency in Lisbon, Portugal and in 2019 took part in the Akin Studio Program residency at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto.

Raquel Da Silva’s work explores foundational cultural stories and how these are embedded in wider contemporary social and environmental dynamics. Working predominantly in painting, her pieces reflect both two and three-dimensional forms and internalized reference points relating to the way we experience life. Recent projects are focused on opening up viewers to consider their own perceptions of the heroic and the monstrous through mythology, the stories we tell ourselves to rationalize and understand difficult moments and how these impact our day-to-day decisions.