MAANILA SANTOS DE MORAES

She/Her | Born in Rio de Janeiro (BR) | Based in Vienna (AT)
Bachelor of Arts, ESBA (École supérieure des beaux-arts de Genève). Geneva (CH)

Performing under the moniker Ironica Los Culos, Maanila Santos de Moraes has established herself as a defining voice in audiovisual performance art. Specialized in audio-reactive video mapping on self-built 3D objects, she weaves complex worlds from sound design, animation, and light.

Her trajectory is rooted in the underground energy of the 1990s Free Tekno movement, where she began DJing as part of the ATAC soundsystem. This formative period of sonic rebellion laid the foundation for her technical journey: in 1999, she began studying Multimedia at SAE Technology College Vienna, while simultaneously pursuing Painting and Graphic Design at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. It was during this time that her early experiments with short animations evolved into the high-energy visual projections for raves that would define her entry into the digital arts.

This spirit of reclaiming space continued through her long-standing exploration of public and social spheres. From her early, large-scale pneumatic installations—such as the striking inflatable structures at Vienna’s Museumsquartier—to transdisciplinary projects like Waschen – Macht – Sound, she has consistently used art to transform everyday environments into sites of transcultural narrative and political empowerment. Her multifaceted artistry also extends to the international music scene, having contributed vocals and an animated music video ("A Casa") for Homelife on the prestigious Ninja Tune label.

Today, her technical expertise is a vital component in stage productions, providing video mapping and visual content for performances at the Wiener Festwochen, Life Ball, and brut Wien. Whether touring as a visual artist with the band Tosca or deconstructing traditional Brazilian beats as a DJ, Santos de Moraes understands technology as an emancipatory tool.

From Vienna to  Rio de Janeiro, she bridges the gap between digital precision and raw human narrative, using the "glitch" as a tool for political inquiry. Her practice remains deeply collaborative, frequently intersecting with queer-feminist movements, body autonomy, and post-colonial narratives.

View my complete Artistic CV.