Danessa Santana (1989, she/they) is a Dominican-United Statesian multidisciplinary artist who works with paper, fabric, and found materials to construct detailed cut-paper compositions, soft sculptures, performances, and installations. Their work focuses on the construction of utopias and explorations of identity through representations of landscapes, cultural symbols, and superhuman beings.

Danessa lives in the unyielded homeland of the Lenape people, Lenapehoking (colonially renamed to Brooklyn, New York) since 2015. After finding themselves dissatisfied with their career in advertising, Danessa attended Altos de Chavón School of Design, La Romana, DR, where she received a BA in Fine Arts in 2015. Later that year, she participated in Mixed Media courses at the School of Visual Arts, New York, NY.

Danessa was represented by Casa Quien in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from 2014 to 2017, participating in various group shows and art fairs, including MAD Art Fair, Madrid, Spain. 

Danessa’s work is in the collections of Casa Quién, Fundación Cultural Altos de Chavón, and several private collections.