visiting Tunga's gallery True Rouge at Instituto Inhotim.
helenarrativas is the artistic name of helena furquim junqueira, a brazilian visual artist, designer and illustrator working worldwide. narrativas is the portuguese word for "narratives", incorporated in her name just like her deep connection to storytelling.
she began taking pictures with her father’s old cameras when she was 14, an early practice of observation that helped shape her artistic path.
she began taking pictures with her father’s old cameras when she was 14, an early practice of observation that helped shape her artistic path.
she initially studied architecture, where she discovered digital collage as a way to represent spaces in a more playful, emotional, and narrative way. although she has since stepped away from architectural practice, collage remains a central visual language in her work, allowing for freedom and experimentation across disciplines.
she holds a master’s degree in global design, and her practice now sits at the intersection of visual arts and design, built by her academic background and years of living between five different countries.
inspired by movement, cultures and memories, she creates unique visual narratives projects for books, magazines, cultural institutions, events and brands with a real story to tell.
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Artist statement
I collect fragments: pieces of images, places, memories, and selves. my practice is rooted in movement, and in the quiet work of reconstruction that follows it. collage and photography are tools for observing, living, healing, and reassembling meaning.
each capturing and composition gesture is an attempt to map an inner landscape through an outer one. a reminder that we are always changing, and that identity is something we can gently rebuild, piece by piece, like a forever evolving masterpiece.
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Awards
2024 — Cycle Up! International Student Poster Competition
Poster competition. 1st prize: poster for the European Peace Ride.
Poster competition. 1st prize: poster for the European Peace Ride.
2019 — Los Viajes con Arquitectura UFV
Photography competition. 1st prize: photos from the UFV + Éav&t
Paris workshop.
Photography competition. 1st prize: photos from the UFV + Éav&t
Paris workshop.
2019 — Contrau UNIP
Universidade Paulista Architecture competition.
1st prize: "Intervenção Urbana Região Norte" (Urban Project).
3rd prize: "Clear JK" (Architectural Project), both as part of a group.
Universidade Paulista Architecture competition.
1st prize: "Intervenção Urbana Região Norte" (Urban Project).
3rd prize: "Clear JK" (Architectural Project), both as part of a group.
2018 — Santander Mundi Study-abroad scholarship.
Ranked 1st among Universidade Paulista (UNIP) students.
Ranked 1st among Universidade Paulista (UNIP) students.
Exhibitions
2025 — vers l'inconnu
Art exhibition — ZinZine, La Fabrique UT2J, Toulouse. Sep–Oct 2025.
Art exhibition — ZinZine, La Fabrique UT2J, Toulouse. Sep–Oct 2025.
2024 — le dernier refuge de la lumière
Photography exhibition — Carte Blanche · Calam'Arts, UT2J, Toulouse. Nov 2024.
Photography exhibition — Carte Blanche · Calam'Arts, UT2J, Toulouse. Nov 2024.
2020 — muévete y quédate
Photography exhibition, with Nicole Pretell — Tienda UFV & Colegio Mayor UFV, Madrid. Jan–Feb 2020.
Photography exhibition, with Nicole Pretell — Tienda UFV & Colegio Mayor UFV, Madrid. Jan–Feb 2020.
2019 — extensiones del cuerpo
Photography exhibition — 7dexhibi2.0 · @el7decampa, Madrid. Apr 2019.
Photography exhibition — 7dexhibi2.0 · @el7decampa, Madrid. Apr 2019.
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