Dani Emiliano

Dani Emiliano is an artist from São Vicente, a city on the coast of São Paulo, who has developed a taste for drawing and arts since she was a child thanks to her father's influence.

After graduating with a degree in Art Education from Santa Cecília University, she worked as an art teacher for five years. Later, she shifted into graphic design and worked for agencies in the region around Santos. Today, she dedicates herself entirely to her career as an illustrator and graphic artist.

In her nearly fifteen-year career, the versatile artist's style ranges everything from realism to cartoons. Dani has worked on commissioned portraits, institutional comics, illustrations for publications, and animation projects.

During the last few years, she has sought to work with projects that support social movements, especially those that strengthen the anti-racism struggle.

On the creative process she used in the illustrations for the Ibirapitanga collection, the artist says:

"Illustrating about such important topics was a great responsibility for me. That is why I felt the need to deepen my knowledge about each of these themes. I think this is due not only to the need to produce consistent work but also to my personal interest in understanding more about the subjects approached in these works.

Besides the material support that I received, which was significant, I also searched for complementary information through reports, texts, and videos. During this research and immersion, I was able to delve deeper into subjects of which I only had fleeting knowledge. Learning more about agrochemicals present in food and about the importance of defending democracy to combat racial inequalities raised my awareness and led me to several reflections.

After this process, I had a better sense of my direction and I started to produce in an attempt to represent my ideas in a more condensed way, using more figurative, objective, and poetic language.

Despite the challenge, I believe that experiences such as this further kindle my desire to contribute more to the dissemination of knowledge through my art. 

I am very grateful to Ibirapitanga for the invitation, the opportunity, and the confidence in my work!"