Wisrah C. V. da R. Celestino was born in 1989 in Buritizeiro, Brazil, and currently lives and works in Braunschweig, Germany, since completing their studies in the postgraduate program at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig in 2023. Through score, sculpture, text, photography, sound, and video, the artist addresses the remaining structures of the transatlantic colonial project, focusing on institutional critique, language, and objecthood. Their work has been shown in Germany and internationally, including exhibitions at Galerie Molitor (Germany), Kunsthal Nord (Denmark), Museu Nacional da República (Brazil), Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Germany), Curitiba Biennial (Brazil), and Oscar Niemeyer Museum (Brazil).  

In addition to being awarded the ars viva 2025, Celestino was previously granted numerous other grants, prizes, residencies, and fellowships, amongst them the Pampulha Grant, Brazil (Belo Horizonte Municipal Foundation for Culture); Ducato Prize, Italy; Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig, Germany (Ministry of Science and Culture of the Lower Saxony); La Becque, Switzerland (The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia); PACT Zollverein, Germany (JUNCTIONS); British Council, UK; and Pivô, Brazil. Their 2024 exhibitions include a solo show at Kunstverein Kevin Space (Austria), and group shows at Kunstverein Braunschweig, Kunsthalle Bremen (both Germany), Kunsthal Charlottenborg (Denmark), Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil (Brazil).