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[BIO]

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Leka is a multidisciplinary artist born in São Paulo in 1996, currently living and working in New York. Graduated in architecture and urbanism, she developed an essentialist approach to a creative universe in which technique and sensitivity are both present. This experience helped her become detail-oriented, with a strong attention to space, light, symmetry, and balance. In 2020, after deciding to move to the United States and going through a period of self-discovery, she found new forms of expression through photography and the visual arts. Arriving in New York at the beginning of the pandemic marked a turning point in her trajectory because of the emotional intensity and a need for presence. During this period, she reconnected with her inner truth and began to expand her ways of creating.


Her practice moves across different languages, with an interest in photography, essentialist architecture, intuitive painting, experimental processes, and poetic writing. Through these complementary expressions, she explores internal states and what is essential, revealing authenticity, subtlety, and functionality. Her work transforms experience into genuine connection through the rationality of architecture, the human connection of photography, and the intuitive process of art. Leka’s research reflects her commitment to art as a way of becoming more conscious. She believes that creating, observing, feeling, and expressing are ways of understanding life in a more human and meaningful way. The oceanic oil painting series, Sereno, emerges as part of this research, exploring emotional depth and states of consciousness.

Her creativity is driven by the desire to inspire and be inspired. For Leka, creating is about presence, about transforming what she lives into awareness and what she feels into form.

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[ACADEMIC BACKGROUND]

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  • COPE NYC 

      Art Residency

      May 2026 - Aug 2026 - New York, USA

      3-month residency exploring techniques and processes of my oil paintings related the Ocean

  • PhotoManhattan
    Studio & Lighting Photography

    Nov 2021 - Dec 2021 - New York, USA
    Focus on studio lighting techniques for professional photograph

  • SUNY Westchester Community College
    Digital Photography

    Sept 2020 - Dec 2020 - New York, USA
    Exploration of the theoretical, technical, and aesthetic foundations of digital photography

  • Harvard University
    Leaders of Learning

    May 2020 - Jun 2020
    Course on educational philosophies and leadership in learning environments

[WORK EXPERIENCE]

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  • Leka WV Architect, Artist, Photographer (US/ BR)
    2021 Present
    Technical Creative and authorial development of projects in the areas of architecture, art direction and exhibitions, photography, and artistic production Independent and multidisciplinary practice focused on functionality, authenticity, and sensitive visual communication

  • Studio Lebet - Partner Architect (US/ BR)
    2020 - 2021
    2014 - 2018 • São Paulo, Brazil
    Comprehensive training in architecture, urbanism, and design.

  • Symphony Art School
    Architectural Drawing

    Work as a partner at Studio Lebet, with a focus on the design and development of architectural and interior projects. Execution of independent and authorial work in a remote and intercultural contexts

  • Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado
    Lighting Design

    2019 • São Paulo, Brazil
    Technical and creative studies in lighting applied to architectural and artistic contexts

  • Universidade São Judas Tadeu
    Bachelor's in Architecture and Urban Planning

    2014 - 2018 • São Paulo, Brazil
    Comprehensive training in architecture, urbanism, and design.

  • Symphony Art School
    Architectural Drawing

    2013 - 2014 • São Paulo, Brazil
    Fundamentals of architectural representation and drawing techniques

  • Carlos Rossi Arquitetura - Architect (Sao Paulo, BR)
    2018 - 2020
    Work in residential architecture with a focus on interior design. Development of conceptual projects, executive plans, and 3D models. Participation in client presentations, construction supervision, and coordination with suppliers, applying creative and technical skills in a collaborative studio environment

  • Takeda Malzone Arquitetura (BR)
    2016 - 2018
    Work in the development of residential architecture projects, contributing to preliminary studies, executive drawings, and 3D modeling. Collaboration in the coordination between architectural and structural systems, as well as support in presenting creative concepts

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