Naya de Souza

aka LUX VENÉREA, the @Bundaskanzlerin of Germany

Naya de Souza was born in 1991 in the Caatinga region of Brazil and grew up between the borders of Bahia and Pernambuco. Working under different alter-egos like "LUX VENÉREA" and "@Bundaskanzlerin," she transitions between disciplines such as performance art, comedy/stand-up, and cooking. Multilingual by birth and transdisciplinary by heritage, Naya's body of work transcends traditional boundaries, whether between disciplines, countries, or institutions. She views art as a perpetual process of immigration and translation.

Based in Berlin since 2016, Naya has stormed the cultural scene with her multimedia cabaret performances and politically charged stand-up sets. Her online "Bundaskanzlerin" serves as a social media critique of Germany's exclusionary political/art world, utilizing found footage, video collages, photography and memes to create an “anti censorship” language and tackle censored topics. With her pedagogical memes and adept teaching skills, Naya has become one of Berlin's most influential voices, sought after by art and cultural institutions aiming to engage younger and marginalized audiences in Germany.

Mostly as "Lux Venérea" or under her own name, Naya's work has been showcased in at least ten different countries, gracing prestigious international venues including Berlin institutions Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Hebbel Am Ufer 1&2, Kampnagel, Martin Gropius Bau and Gorki Theater, Kammerspiele in Munich, Belvedere Theater in Vienna, CCBA Barcelona, Deichtorhallen Hamburg and WORM Rotterdam, among others.