Neve Insular ni is an artistic collective created by Rita Rainho and Vanessa Monteiro. It was born from the utopia of reimagining ancestral knowledge of Cape Verdean traditional textiles, with a particular focus on Pano d’Obra, through a holistic approach that encompasses agroecological, educational, and artistic dimensions across the entire cotton fibre cycle.
ni began agroecological cotton cultivation in Madeiral, on the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde, in 2018, following participation in the Created in Cabo Verde Design Salon, BOKA PANU edition, promoted by the National Centre for Art, Craft and Design. It is from Madeiral that ni shares the ongoing experience of a new time of existence: the time of nature, of being, and of creation.
The ni collective was honoured with the distinction of BEST OF African and Afro-diasporic Visual Arts & Interdisciplinary/Discursive Crossover Programme in Portugal (2023) by Bantumen magazine, in recognition of the originality and impact of the “Neve Insular 0.0003% – cotton and resistance” programme at the Cape Verde Cultural Centre (CCCV) in Lisbon. It has regularly participated in exhibitions and biennials in Belgium, Brazil, Spain, France, Portugal, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
