Eve Queiróz

Immigrant, 2023, Digital work @Eve Queiróz

Islands Project (IP): Thank you for being with us to share your experience. Please tell us about yourself.

Eve Queiróz (EQ): I’m Eve Queirróz, artist from São Paulo, Brazil, and I’m currently based in Berlin. I moved to the city in November 2022. It has been more than 2 years. I visited Berlin for the first time in 2017 as a backpacker, and fell in love with the city.

IP: That’s a nice feeling. 

EQ: Yeah, and I moved here with my husband and also my cat.

IP: How did you set up a new working environment in Berlin?

EQ: We live in an area called Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, which is not far from Mitte, and I have a small atelier at home. The process is very calm and I love the moment of creation. Our apartment is on the highest floor of an old building. There is a lively neighborhood on the street, with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars, but I don’t hear much noise at home. I can see the big sky from the balcony too.

IP: It’s great to hear you managed to set up a good space for yourself. How about the art scene in Berlin? How are you building connections?

EQ: I had some nice projects since I moved to Berlin, but I can’t say I’ve established connections with local galleries to secure stable income. It is sometimes difficult to approach galleries, or even just to socialize. It’s overwhelming, really. I'm still learning how to get into the community here.

IP: Interesting. Our curator friend Bianca Zaltcovitz mentioned you have more than 28,000 followers on Instagram, and you do! It is surprising to learn that you find networking difficult.

EQ: Yes, probably many followers are from Brazil. The scenes are different. In Brazil, it’s like a friend of your friend is your friend, you know? That’s not the case in Berlin, or in Europe in general.

IP: Are there other things which came as a shock after you moved to Berlin?

EQ: The political situation. It's a weird moment with the rise of the right, and there are also wars around us. This is not the kind of violence I’m used to seeing in my country. But in general, it is safer here. I can walk without fear at night.

IP: Yes, I can see that. Did anything else change positively after moving to Berlin?

EQ: I was once diagnosed with social phobia and it was a tough time, but almost magically after I moved here, I managed to get out of my shell with therapy, the right medication and love. And now I can enjoy the place and think about new art projects.

IP: That’s interesting. Moving to a new place did you good, rather than causing loneliness or a sense of losing yourself.

EQ: Yes, it did, but, because of this move, I also have this strong sense that I'm an immigrant. Berlin reminds me of this everyday and most of my works show how I’m feeling.

IP: Let’s talk about your art practice from the past until now. You are very versatile. Your practice covers everything from tattoos to graffiti, or even large murals. They are totally different media. You also make prints, drawings, and paintings. How did it develop over the years?

EQ: I've been drawing since I was a child and it's always been my best way to express myself, or I should say it was the most accepted way of expressing myself. I've always liked picking up a notebook and drawing. I started doing street art when I was encouraged by the walls I saw around town. I always got curious about other media that were new to me, so I learned how to sew, paint, embroider, etc... I think that it’s all mutually complementary in the timeline of my career.

IP: Plants and flowers, which seem to grow limitlessly, can be observed in your work, and female faces and bodies repeatedly also appear. Do you feel strong organic energy from them? Is there a consistent theme or idea that you have, while you try out different media?

EQ: I approach themes such as body positivity, blackness and also women’s rights. I think my work is the result of my experiences. It’s a way to talk about them, even indirectly. My first artistic project entitled “Negahamburguer” began in 2009 in graffiti form and, as time went by, I explored new techniques and formats in street art, illustrations, tattoos, and even had a book published. Having experienced living on the road from March 2016 to October 2018, I created the project “Mochilão Negahamburguer” (“Backpacking Negahamburguer” in English), through which I exposed myself to wonderful places, created a lot of street art and exchanged accommodation, tickets and food for my artwork and handpoked tattoos. But I stopped this project. Now I’m based in one place, which is Berlin, to pursue my art.

IP: Since you have an identity as an immigrant, you incorporated the theme into your work. There’s a work which comes with the word “immigrant” literally .

EQ: When I visited London for the first time in 2017, I remember a friend wearing a white T-shirt on which the word was printed, and the neighborhood we were in at that time was well known for being a place with a lot of immigrants, too. Since then, I've been making these artistic interventions in the streets.

For more information on Eve Queiróz, please visit -

Instagram @eevecreativestudio

Website evequeiroz.com.br

The interview was conducted in 2025.