Arte Lusa: 10 classrooms, 10 artists, 10 experiences

Ricardo Jorge, born and raised in Lisbon, is an architect, a visual arts teacher and an illustrator. Since 2013, he has been involved in many projects and art competitions in Portugal, exhibiting his works on a regular basis. The themes he touches upon the most include people, with the focus on childhood and family matters. POMAR (Orchard) is a collection of five illustrations (22x22cm) in graphite and acrylic on 300 gr. paper, inspired by the integral poem in Poesia I by Sofia de Mello Breyner Andresen. See less

Nicholas Carvalho (South Africa) and Inês Almeida (Portugal) are a duo of artists, publishers and life-partners, founders of Casa Nic e Inês Edições, for years now focused on workshop organization and the creation and the publishing of experimental art books. After months of travel around the world, they now specialize in oriental techniques. The exhibition features images from the book ESTOU AQUI (I am here), illustrated in Chinese ink. The theme is ‘being present’ and, in times of anxiety, the book is meant to offer alternative distractions to digital content and screens. See less

Lapo is a Portuguese brand founded by Bruna Lapo (Brazil) and António Guerreiro (Portugal) focused on sustainable design and production of clothing, ceramics, prints, and other product lines. They self-describe as finding inspiration in love, beauty and truth, and use art and the creative process as a mirror through which they perceive the world and seek for self-knowledge. The works exhibited belong to the ‘Made in Portugal’ series and exemplify the characteristic Lapo style and aesthetic. See less

Sara Bizarro, born in East Timor but raised in Lisbon, is an artist, writer and philosopher, currently living and teaching in the United States. Her scope of research includes moral philosophy, women in philosophy, the fascination with philosophical themes in Film and TV, and in popular culture in general. Her passion and talent for art resulted in many exhibitions around Portugal and in the US. RETRATOS is a series of portraits of artists and important figures from Portuguese history and culture. See less

Beatriz Bagulho (Portugal) seeks to create a bridge between the performative and the audiovisual arts. Her experience as an illustrator, director and animator allows for involvement in interdisciplinary projects. ARQUÉTIPOS A TINTA is an exhibition inspired by the Enneagram – a personality system that describes how humans relate to the world. By dividing people into nine archetypes, this ancient theory helps to understand how we interpret what surrounds us and the role we tend to adopt in everyday life. Bagulho interprets each of the archetypes through whimsical illustrations. www.beatrizbagulho.com See less

Maria Miguel Cardeiro (Madeira) is a graphic designer and an illustrator. She explores different media to develop unique visual identities and colorful illustrations. For Cardeiro, illustration is a universal language and a means to create poetic and humorous visual metaphors. In ISTO É A MINHA PRAIA, she finds inspiration in the Portuguese coastline with its beaches and cliffs. “I live surrounded by fields and water; illustration is my beach, my place, it is where I feel free to create.” See less

Clara Leitão (Portugal) is a designer, illustrator and sculptor, specializing in silk screen printing and embroidery. A BELA E A COBRA is a series of illustrations based on the short story of the same title. The story’s plot is a Portuguese version of the Beauty and the Beast, with the beast taking the form of a snake. The illustrations explore the delicate balance between beauty and the strange beastly love that signifies the loss of innocence. See less

Francisco Spratley (Portugal) is an architect by profession, with a passion for drawing and photography. In VIAGENS, Spratley takes graphic records of his imaginary trips through Portugal. “Having emigrated in 2001, I often missed being in my city, being in touch with my culture. Over the years, I have made many imaginary trips from the north to the south of Portugal, through the cities that mattered most to me and played an important role in my personal and professional life.” See less

Pri Ballarin self-describes as passionate about books, lines, papers, and positive encounters. The Italian-Brazilian graphic designer, videographer, embroiderer, poet, editor, illustrator and a writer – Pri is a truly multidisciplinary artist. AS CASAS QUE ME HABITAM is a personal journey through the memories of the houses and homes the artists lived in over the course of her life. “After finishing the book “At Their House”, we decided to revisit each of our homes, and from that trip the works of this exhibition were born.” See less

Afonso Pessanha (Portugal) is a visual artist and a product designer, in the past years preoccupied with strategic illustration and live scribing. He skillfully blends the ability to simplify complex information through drawing, with the experience as a graphic designer and a creative director. ARTE RURAL NÃO ENCOMENDADA is the fruit of Pessanha’s desire to step away from the digital world and from the urge to go beyond the dimensions of his screen and sterile working space – getting his hands dirty and allowing self-expression to take over instead. See less