Colors of the Earth: An Interview with Marlene Almeida

Abstract

This interview was conducted on March 20, 2026, with artist and researcher Marlene Almeida (Bananeiras, 1942), who lives and works in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. A graduate in Philosophy from the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), where she also took non-degree courses in painting and drawing, Almeida has developed, since the 1970s, an interdisciplinary research practice that brings together art, science, and environmental issues, with earth—and its colors—at the core of her work. Throughout this long and established trajectory, the artist has dedicated herself to the study of natural pigments and binders and has undertaken a series of expeditions across different regions of Brazil, collecting, cataloguing, and storing earth samples in a wide range of palettes. This process gave rise to what the artist has called the Museum of Brazilian Earths (Museu das Terras Brasileiras)—a museum/studio/laboratory dedicated to identifying and studying the colors found in different geological formations across Brazil. Almeida has held numerous exhibitions in Brazil and abroad and participated in the 36th São Paulo Biennial in 2025 with the installation Living Earth (Terra Viva). Her work will also have a dedicated pavilion at the new contemporary art museum in Brumadinho. Curated byPaulo Miyada and designed by architect Sol Camacho, the pavilion will house the Museum of Brazilian Earths, as well as the artist’s drawings, projects, paintings, sculptures, and installations.