Panmela Castro is an activist artist whose social policy work, primarily focused on gender equality, provides the core inspiration for the content of her provocative paintings. With her work, Panmela challenges patriarchal notions of public space as related to sexism, sexuality, subjectivity, and power relations. Using graffiti as a vehicle for cultural transformation, Panmela has brought many successful projects promoting women's rights to fruition. Panmela has a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the School of Fine Arts at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and is currently in the Master of Arts program at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. She has received numerous awards including the Prize Hutúz graffiti Artist of the decade, the DVF Awards and the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award for human rights. In 2012 she was nominated, together with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, one of the 150 women that are shaking the world by Newsweek magazine. With years of experience writing graffiti and fighting for women's rights, Panmela has been invited to paint in cities across the globe, including but not limited to: Berlin, Paris, Istambul, Prague, Johannesburg, New York, Toronto, and Washington D.C. Panmela has also worked with major organizations such as the Organization Of American States (OAS), the German Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, and the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Panmela is the Founder and President of Rede Nami, a feminist urban arts network. Rede Nami seeks to promote human rights whilst, and by, strengthening the artistic, intellectual, and professional skills of women living in favelas.
Website: https://panmelacastro.carbonmade.com/