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Catarina Leitão

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Biography

Catarina Leitão’s artistic practice explores the relationships between nature and culture through processes of construction, transformation, and adaptation. Working across sculpture, installation, drawing, and the artist’s book, she invents objects, landscapes, and devices that bring together references to the natural world and human-made artefacts. Experimentation and material manipulation are central to her practice, where making and thinking inform one another.

Her work has been exhibited in Portugal and internationally, notably in New York, where she lived for fifteen years. It has been shown at institutions including MoMA PS1, Socrates Sculpture Park, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts. She has held solo exhibitions at the Centro de Arte Moderna, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Sintra Museum of Modern Art – Berardo Collection, Casa da Cerca – Centro de Arte Contemporânea, Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis, and Centro Cultural de Cascais. Her work is held in collections including the Portuguese State Contemporary Art Collection, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Fundação EDP, and Fundação PLMJ.

She received a joint scholarship from the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD, 1997–99), as well as grants and fellowships from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation (2001–02) and the New York Foundation for the Arts (2009). She has participated in residency programmes at the Sharpe Foundation (2004–05), Center for Book Arts (2007), and Museu do Caramulo (2025–26).

She holds a PhD in Contemporary Art from the University of Coimbra (2022), an MFA from Hunter College, New York (2000), and a degree in Painting from the University of Lisbon (1993). She taught at ESAD.CR from 2011 to 2024 and currently teaches at the University of Coimbra’s Colégio das Artes and, during the first semester of 2026–27, at the School of Architecture, Art and Design of the University of Minho.

Curriculum vitae

Texts

Press

Interviews

Publications

  • White Box #1: Intervalosexhibition catalogue, Museu do Caramulo, 2026
  • Naturfaturavisual essay Umbigo #87 Post-Natural, 5 pages, January 2024 · Naturfatura
  • O ArmárioModos de Usar, edited by Benedita Pestana and José Roseira, Documenta, Lisbon, November 2023
  • O Desenho como Pensamentoedited by Alexandre Baptista, CM Águeda, 2023 · Naturfatura
  • A Prática do Infinito Pela Leituraedited by Catarina Domingues, Ricardo Ribeiro, Sr. Teste Edições, Lisbon, 2023
  • Algum Desenho a Partir de GaetanAlberto Caetano Collection, Casa da Cerca – Centro de Arte Contemporânea, Almada, 2023
  • BODY. WORK. POVERTY.Eduarda Neves (Ed), Centro de Estudos Arnaldo Araújo, ESAP-CESAP, Porto, 2022
  • O Terceiro Corpoessay in collaboration with José Roseira, in Leonorana #4 Cuidar, Porto, March 2021
  • Desenhos em A Noite Espiritualde Lydie Dattas, Edições Sr. Teste, March 2021
  • Irradiações VieiraFundação Arpad Szenes – Vieira da Silva, Lisbon, 2021
  • As possibilidades de uma paisagem (PDF)text by João Pinharanda, Galeria do Parque, CM Vila Nova da Barquinha, 2020 · As possibilidades de uma paisagem
  • A Metade do CéuFundação Arpad Szenes – Vieira da Silva, 2019
  • Rigorosamente LibriBienalle del Libro d’Artista, Fondazione dei Monti Uniti di Foggia, 2019
  • Studiolo XXI: Desenho e AfinidadesFundação Eugénio de Almeida, Évora, 2019
  • Orografiascatalogue/solo exhibition text by Maria do Mar Fazenda, Giefarte/Documenta, Lisbon, 2019 · Orografias
  • Estórias do Livro de Artista/Stories of the Artist BookAna João Romana, Lisbon, 2017
  • Artists to ArtistsVolume 2, Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, New York, 2016
  • The Open Book Project ↗Edited and Published by Leslie Atzmon and Ryan Molloy on behalf of Eastern Michigan University, 2014
  • 5 Anos – Carpe Diem Arte e PesquisaLisbon, July 2014
  • Systema Naturaecollaboration with José Roseira (texts), Orbis Tertius Edições, Lisbon, 2012 · Systema Naturæ
  • MultipleLimited, Unique: Selections from the Permanent Collection, Center for Book Arts, 2011
  • Pretty Tough: Contemporary Storytellingcatalogue, text by Monica Ramirez-Montagut, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, CT, 2009
  • Lá Foracatalogue, text by João Pinharanda, Museu da Presidência da República / Museu da Electricidade, Lisbon, 2009 · Portable Private Garden
  • Fragmentos desde los 90: Portugaledited by David Barro and Paulo Reis, Dardo, Artedardo/ Museo Patio Herreriano, Valladolid, Spain, 2008
  • 50 anos de Arte PortuguesaFundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal, 2007
  • Ponto de Vistacatalogue, edited by Miguel Amado, Fundação PLMJ, Lisbon, 2007
  • Bordercrossing Berlinart project, Berlin, Germany, June 2007
  • Anatomical Attitudescatalogue, text by Robin Reisenfeld, Heskin Contemporary, New York, 2006
  • Anamnese – The Booktext by Miguel Von Hafe Perez, Fundação Ilídio Pinho, Porto, 2006
  • Opções e Futuroscatalogue, text by Miguel Amado, Fundação PLMJ, Lisbon, 2006
  • Naturaliacatalogue, text by Leonor Nazaré, Centro de Arte Moderna, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and Centro Cultural de Lagos, Lisbon, 2006
  • Garden Improvementcatalogue, text by Jennifer McGregor, Wavehill, Glyndor Gallery and Grounds, New York, 2006 · Portable Private Garden
  • New York Contemporary Art Scene (PDF)Art and Design Press, Beijing, China, 2006 · One with Nature and Natural Selection
  • Del Zero al 2005 – Perspectivas del arte en PortugalDavid Barro, Fundación Marcelino Botín, Spain, 2005
  • Catarina Leitão (PDF)W Art, Frantiska and Tim Gilman-Sevcik, Mimesis, Porto, Portugal, 2005
  • Greater New York Book (PDF)catalogue, text by Amy Smith-Stewart, PS1/MoMA, New York, 2005 · One with Nature and Natural Selection
  • Densidade Relativa (PDF)text by Leonor Nazaré, Centro de Arte Moderna, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal, 2005
  • Guia da Colecçãotext by Leonor Nazaré, Centro de Arte Moderna, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal, 2004
  • From Tactical to Practical (PDF) 1 · 2Erin Donnelly, www.anamnese.pt, 2004 · Survival Systems, Socrates Sculpture Park
  • Bienal de Pontevedra 2004 – No princípio era a viagemcatalogue, Pontevedra, Spain, 2004 · Survival Systems
  • 3rd Floor: A Portable Art Spaceproject for 3rd Floor, Magazine no. 2, Baltimore, MD, USA, 2004
  • De Natura (PDF) 1 · 2text by Leonor Nazaré, Natureza Domesticada - Tamed Nature, Centro de Arte Moderna, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, 2002 · Tamed Nature
  • Natureza Domesticadatext by Catarina Leitão, Natureza Domesticada - Tamed Nature, Centro de Arte Moderna, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal, 2002 · Tamed Nature