In the chromatic and deeply human universe of Ijanes Guimarães, the canvas is
more than just a surface — it’s a generous mirror where each viewer can find a
reflection of themselves.
Born in Antônio Almeida, Piauí, and now based in Imperatriz, Maranhão, Brazil,
Ijanes blends her identity as an artist with her lifelong journey as an educator.
With 28 years of experience in education, her listening is sharp, her gaze, deeply
observant. Within the hallways of public schools, she has witnessed what many
refuse to see: Black children trying to squeeze into a mold that erases them, girls
excluded simply for existing outside the dominant aesthetic norms.
The protagonists in her paintings are girls who defy expectations — who bloom
far beyond the “tiny box” of stereotypes. Black, plus-size, proudly unique — for
Ijanes, they embody real beauty: raw, radiant, and uncompromising. She
captures them in moments of vivid joy, their playfulness bursting into a palette of
colors that sings with happiness, celebrating innocence with the unapologetic
glow of a sun that doesn’t ask permission to shine. Her rich textures — almost
tangible — invite touch, adding a playful, sensory layer that echoes the
experience of childhood itself.
With a vibrant, almost dreamlike palette, she reimagines what childhood looks
like. Her compositions move — textures jump from the canvas, as if asking to be
touched. Ijanes mixes media, builds layers, and infuses each figure with energy
and tenderness. And in doing so, she reminds us: play is a right. And being a
child should never come with the risk — of exclusion, invisibility, or neglect.
She paints precious moments with the softness of someone who understands
just how fragile time can be — and how every childhood marked by prejudice is
a silent tragedy. By placing these girls at the center of her work — whole, bright,
and full of life — she creates, canvas by canvas, a new kind of healing: symbolic,
loving, and transformative.