Van Gogh House London

Brazilian artists Gabriel Pessoto and Ana Miguel were in residence at Van Gogh House during July 2026.

Gabriel Pessoto and Ana Miguel were nominated for their residency by the Instituto Guimarães Rosa as part of the UK/Brazil 2026 season of cultural exchange.

Both Gabriel and Ana specialise in textiles in their respective practices. With Gabriel’s work looking at the relationship between physical textiles such as embroidery and digital media, with a particular focus on experiences of desire. While Ana’s work investigates human relationships and slippages in meaning through both large installations and miniature sculptures.

During the residency, Gabriel and Ana used their time to explore London’s art scene, meeting fellow artists alongside gallerists, curators and conservators. They also visited a number of textile archives at Goldsmiths and London College of Fashion to support their research. The artists were supported to work with local South London social inclusion charity, The Baytree centre, to deliver workshops to women and girls.

Gabriel and Ana’s residency concluded with an open studio event for the public in which they presented their ‘traces’, artworks inspired by their time at Van Gogh House.

The artists used the time in the residency as an opportunity for researching textile practices. Over the duration of the residency they visited a number of collections and exhibitions.

They also had the opportunity to visit the textiles conservation laboratory at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford as well as the incredible textile archives held at London College of Fashion and Goldsmith’s Universities.

“The whole residency experience was enriching… but I would highlight the visits we made in London College of Fashion and Goldsmith’s Textile Collection as the most insightful moments. The things I saw and touched in these collections as though the images and patterns I could collect there will certainly show up a lot in future works” – Gabriel 

Both Gabriel and Ana delivered workshops with local community partner The Baytree Centre, a social inclusion charity who support women and girls education. The workshops were attended by their ‘Mother and Daughter’ group and their ‘Into School’ group for teenagers recently arrived to the UK and not yet in mainstream education.

Inspired by the techniques taught to him by the women in his own family, Gabriel’s workshop focused on teaching mothers and young girls how to create small designs using cross-stitch embroidery. The workshop was delivered using all natural materials that Gabriel brought from Brazil.

Ana’s workshop with the ‘Into School’ group was inspired by the fairy tale of Rapunzel. The girls were asked to write down their favourite words in English and their native languages on pieces of fabric. They then worked together to plait the words into a 10 meter long plait which they hung from Vincent’s bedroom down the side of the house.

Reflection at the Van Gogh House, Gabriel Pessoto

Gabriel’s trace was inspired by a photograph he took of himself inside the house, it reflects on the fact that the house has been inhabited by various individuals across the centuries. “It’s a tapestry, but it’s also a self-portrait, but it’s also a selfie, but it’s also a memory, but it’s also a presence, but it’s also a ghost…” 

A dream in Van Gogh’s room, Ana Miguel

During the residency, Ana stayed in Van Gogh’s bedroom, reading the books Van Gogh once read. She left a work amongst the bookshelves. “In this room, the library reconstructs his readings at the time, recorded in abundant correspondence… Many dreams, readings, new friendships, walks and research in London, a month that now marks my memory.”

Gabriel Pessoto (b.1993) is from São Paulo. Since 2015, Gabriel has worked as a visual artist researching the impact of contemporary visuality and the online experience on idealizations and desires. Mainly working with textiles, he has taken part in group exhibitions such as ‘Queer Histories’ at MASP (São Paulo, Brazil) and the ‘18th International Triennial of Textile’ (Łódź, Poland).

Ana Miguel (b.1962) in Rio de Janeiro. Ana began her practice with investigations into engraving which, from the 1980s onwards, are metamorphosed into three-dimensional works and installations. She has participated in numerous group shows both in Brazil and abroad, such as the 15 Bienal de La Habana ( Havana, Cuba, 2024), 25th Bienal de São Paulo (São Paulo, 2002), II Bienal do Mercosul (Porto Alegre, 1997), A/MAZE (La Tréfilerie, Belgium, 2004). And solo exhibitions such as Memória Bambi, (Cavalo Gallery, RJ, 2026).

This residency was supported by the Instituto Guimarães Rosa.