Julia CSekö

Csekö is a visual artist whose practice bridges art, activism, and community engagement. Born in Colorado to Brazilian parents in self-exile during Brazil’s military dictatorship, Julia Csekö was raised in Rio de Janeiro. An interdisciplinary artist, educator, and cultural advocate, Csekö has received numerous prestigious awards and residencies, including the Our Energy Future Grant, ALAANA Creative County Grant, the SMFA Traveling Fellowship, the Collective Futures Grant, the Be The Change Award, and multiple Local Cultural Council grants. In 2025, Csekö returned to Studios at MassMoCA as an Alumni AiR. Csekö recently completed a three-year Artist Residence at the Boston Center for the Arts and the eight-month-long Salem Public Artist Residence, and has been invited to several notable programs, including Sculpture Space and MASSCreative’s Create the Vote Fellowship.

Csekö’s work includes public art commissions and is held in prominent collections such as the Tufts University Permanent Collection, Emerson College, the Museum of Modern Art in Rio (MAM Rio), the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, and Centro Cultural São Paulo, as well as private collections worldwide.

Her passion for arts advocacy began during her BFA studies at the Federal University of Rio (UFRJ), where she played a pivotal role in securing an increase in Brazil’s national arts and culture funding from 0.3% to 1%. She also served on a cultural policy committee engaging with the Brazilian Ministry of Culture. Now based in North America, Csekö continues her advocacy work, championing arts funding, accessibility, and community engagement.