Born in 1966 in Lisbon, Bela Silva graduated from the Fine Arts Schools of Lisbon and Porto and attended Ar.Co in Lisbon, Norwich Fine Arts in the UK and the School of The Art Institut in Chicago, USA.

She currently lives and works between Lisbon and Brussels. She has had individual exhibitions at the Ann Nathan Gallery and Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago; the Museu do Azulejo, the Museu Anastácio Gonçalves, the Palácio da Ajuda and the Fundação Ricardo Espírito Santo, Lisbon; She has also exhibited in China and Japan.

She has participated in collective exhibitions of tiles in Brazil, Spain and France; She has taught ceramics courses in Japan and Morocco. She has won artistic residencies in Kohler, Wisconsin, USA and in the Bordalo Pinheiro Factory, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal.

She has made several pieces of public art, including tile panels for the Alvalade station, Lisbon Underground; panels for the gardens of the Sakai Cultural Centre, Japan; and panels for the João de Deus school, Azores.