About the artist
"Through MARÉA, I hope to create a space in which people can recognize parts of themselves without feeling judged. A space where difficult emotions can exist without shame, where vulnerability is not mistaken for weakness, and where people who feel misunderstood can find a sense of connection. If someone encounters my work and feels a little less alone, a little more understood, or reminded that they are still worthy of love, then the work has reached beyond the canvas."
Artist’s biography
"I was born in Fortaleza, Brazil, and my journey has been shaped by change, adversity, and the ongoing search for a sense of belonging — both in the world and within myself.
My childhood was difficult, marked by violence, instability, and experiences that would take me years to fully understand. At seventeen, I left Brazil with my mother in search of a new beginning, using the little money we were able to gather on such short notice by selling our belongings. We first moved to Germany, but when we were unable to stay, we continued on to Portugal to try again. The transition was devastating. At seventeen, I went from having a comfortable life to having almost nothing. My mother and I were without a home for a long time, trying to survive while carrying the emotional weight of everything we had lost. We were utterly broken, forced to rebuild our lives from the ground up with very little certainty about what would the future would hold.
I spent seven years in Portugal, where I studied translation, before moving to Germany in 2024. During those years, I carried a quiet but persistent struggle with my mental health. Some days, simply finding a reason to stay alive or make sense of everything I had been through felt painfully difficult. These experiences have been with me since childhood, leaving marks that I am still learning to understand. Yet they are not the entirety of who I am. Beneath the pain, there is also resilience, growth, and a part of me that continues to hope for a life that feels lighter and more whole.
After a year of struggling to adjust to life in Germany, I decided to seek help and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. It was there that I began painting. What started as a personal process gradually became something more: a way to explore emotions that were difficult to express, confront parts of myself I had long struggled to understand, and make space for experiences I had once found hard to accept. Painting did not erase my pain, but it helped me recognise that I am more than what I have endured.
This is where MARÉA’s story began.
At twenty-six, I am still learning, still healing, and still discovering who I am. I do not believe that healing means erasing the past or becoming untouched by what we have experienced. For me, it means learning to live with greater understanding, accepting the complexity of being human, and recognizing that our struggles do not diminish our worth.
MARÉA is both a reflection of that journey and an invitation to others: to look closer, question the judgments we have inherited, and approach ourselves and one another with greater compassion.
Because no one should have to be free of suffering to deserve understanding. No one should have to be perfectly healed to be worthy of love."
— M
Creating space for connection
"MARÉA is an artistic exploration of the human experience—especially the parts we are often taught to conceal. My work engages with themes of trauma, identity, shame, sexuality, morality, and the tension between social expectations and our inner realities. I am drawn to uncomfortable questions, the silences surrounding difficult experiences, and the space between how society judges us and who we truly are.
Too often, mental health challenges are met with isolation and shame. Each painting is an invitation to recognize our shared humanity—without judgment.
Mental health is central to my work because I believe its stigma must be challenged. Too many people are made to feel ashamed of their struggles or led to believe that their pain makes them difficult to understand or love.
Through my work, I hope to foster a different kind of conversation—one rooted in honesty, compassion, and a deeper recognition of our shared humanity."
— M