Nanda Santoro

Nanda S. (Nanda Santoro) is an Italian painter born in Avellino, where she lives and works. A sociologist and clinical pedagogist by training, she spent thirteen years in Cape Verde, working on educational and social projects for children on the island of Maio. That experience shaped her painting: the colours of Africa, ancestral figures and the dialogue between cultures.

Her current work is surreal and dreamlike. She paints in acrylic on canvas with material relief, gold and silver, exploring the threshold: the moment when a person leaves what is known and steps toward what has no name yet. Her figures are often seen from behind, so that the viewer can take their place. The "Soglie" (Thresholds) collection brings together ten works on transformation, fear and freedom.

Degree in Sociology, University of Salerno, Italy (1991)
Master's in Educational Communication Technology (1996)
Training in Clinical Pedagogy

2026 – "Soglie" (Thresholds), solo exhibition, ex Cinema Eliseo, Avellino, Italy (22–29 November)
2024 – "Fusões: Arte Clássica e Africana em Diálogo", solo exhibition, Palácio da Cultura Ildo Lobo, Praia, Cape Verde (16 works)
2020 – "Cape Verdean Beautiful People", solo exhibition, Praia, Cape Verde (13 works)