[3] Beatriz da Costa was a co-founder with Jamie Schulte and Brooke Singer of Preemptive Media,[4] and a former collaborator of Critical Art Ensemble (CAE).

Da Costa's artwork took whatever form served it best, including robotics, micro-electronics, installation, sculpture, performance, interactivity, net art, photography, and video.

Some of her better-known projects include Swipe, Zapped, and Air (Preemptive Media); Molecular Invasion, Free Range Grains, GenTerra (CAE), and Pigeonblog.

Writing was also an important part of her practice, and she co-edited the 2008 MIT Press anthology Tactical Biopolitics: Art, Activism, and Technoscience with former UC Irvine professor of history Kavita Philip.

[9] Da Costa continued to work up until her death, producing a range of projects addressing her cancer and advocating an "'alternative' approach to healing" through healthy and preventative eating.