Marias Paperdolls

My practice is rooted in the craft sector through the manual and material knowledge of working with recycled paper. For the last fifteen years, every sculpture I have made has begun with something that somebody else had already decided no longer mattered — a newspaper read once and put down, a magazine left on a train seat, a map of a route nobody travels anymore. Through Marias Paperdolls I give that discarded paper new bodies: women, migrants, cultural icons, each one carrying the story of the material it was made from.
Cutting, shaping, modelling and building paper into sculptural bodies requires specific technical skill, developed and refined over fifteen years. I have shared this knowledge through workshops in different schools in Portugal under the project Inquietações, as well as with AMD Mode Design in Düsseldorf and in library settings — a sustained commitment to transmitting craft skills and to valuing paper as both a craft material and a sustainable one.
As a member of Craftwork4.0all, I bring a practice that connects craft, sustainability and community: recycled paper as an ethical and aesthetic material, the community as co-author of the process, and craft knowledge as a tool for social reflection. I am particularly interested in co-creation, in sharing skills with other craft practitioners across Europe, and in exploring how new technologies can support and innovate traditional paper craft while preserving its history.

My primary material is recycled paper — newspapers, magazines and discarded maps collected and given a new life. Paper is both my raw material and my ethical and aesthetic matter: it carries the memory of what it once was and becomes the body of a new sculpture. What drives my practice is the potential of each recycled material — looking at it, deconstructing it and transforming it into something new.
I also work with plant fibres and various weaving/interlacing techniques, as well as clay, faience paste, wood and other materials. This versatility allows me to combine craft techniques and to adapt each material to the concept of the work, always keeping the process low-impact and coherent with the sustainability that runs through my practice.

My practice is deeply engaged with community and with the transmission of craft knowledge. Over the years I have shared my know-how through workshops in different schools in Portugal under the project Inquietações, as well as with AMD Mode Design in Düsseldorf and in library settings — creating spaces where people can learn, experiment and connect through making with recycled paper.

Engagement is also at the heart of the Marias Paperdolls project: the community is a co-author of the process, not merely a spectator. I work through conversations, shared memories, words and gestures, giving voice and body to the women represented — the sculpture as a living archive of female narratives. I am interested in co-creation, in exchanging skills with other craft practitioners across Europe, and in exploring how new technologies can support traditional paper craft while preserving its history and social meaning.

My activities combine artistic creation, craft practice, community engagement and knowledge transmission:
Sculpture and artistic creation — development of Marias Paperdolls, sculptural bodies made entirely from recycled paper (newspapers, magazines, discarded materials), each carrying the story of the material it was made from.
Workshops and craft transmission — sharing paper-craft techniques (cutting, shaping, modelling, building) in different schools in Portugal under the project Inquietações, with AMD Mode Design in Düsseldorf, and in library settings.
Community-based projects — conversations, listening sessions and co-creation processes with communities, where people share words, memories, symbols and gestures that become part of the sculpture.
Research and documentation — photographic records, notes, audio recordings and contextual research on the women represented and on the materials used.
Experimentation with materials and techniques — working with plant fibres and interlacing techniques, clay, faience paste, wood and other recycled materials, exploring the transformative potential of each material.
Reflection and dissemination — using art as a tool for honest reflection on social and environmental integration and on the role of women in history.

International exhibitions & featured artist:
Expo 2025 Osaka (Japan) – Featured artist in "TEXTILE LIVE – Draping with Sustainable Materials," curated by Paulo Gomes for the Portugal Pavilion (2025).
Interior Lifestyle Fair – Tokyo, Japan (2016, 2018, 2019, 2024).
Maison et Objet – Paris, France (2015, 2016, 2017).
Kastner & Oehlder Gallery – Austria. Commissioned for 10 exclusive collections of 152 Marias each for a permanent showcase (2022).
Show Up – Den Bosch, Netherlands (2022).
Portugal Fashion – Porto, Portugal (2018, 2019, 2020).
Formex – Stockholm, Sweden (2017).
Alberta Gift Fair – Edmonton, Canada (2017).
International thematic exhibitions
"Azulejaria Fora de Contexto" – Site-specific installation at VELUX A/S Headquarters, Hørsholm, Copenhagen, Denmark (2018).
"As MULHERES E A MÚSICA" – Exclusive showcase at Ambiance 19SS Showroom, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan (2019).

Community & site-specific projects
Time Capsule – Commissioned sculpture and installation for the 180th anniversary of the Valongo Municipality (2017).
"Quem me dera" (I Wish) – Public tribute sculpture honoring the local artisan Manuel "Encrenca," Alfena, Valongo (2019)
Giant Regueifa – Public art intervention for the city of Valongo (2016).
Film & Set Design – Execution of 100 skeletons made from recycled materials for the film production "La Promesse de l'aube" (2017).
Social Inclusion – Opened the new headquarters of the GIS (LGBT) Center with the commissioned piece "Boneca GISBERTA," Matosinhos (2017).
Institutional Exhibitions – "Presépio do Amor" at Porto Welcome Center and Sá Carneiro Airport; "MARIAS – For all Girls and Women" at the Cultural Center of Cascais (Lisbon).

Educational facilitation & workshops
AMD Akademie Mode & Design – Düsseldorf, Germany (2025). Led an international workshop challenging fashion design students to explore draping and zero-waste practices using recycled paper.
Escola Árvore – Porto, Portugal (2025).
Escola de Moda do Porto – Porto, Portugal (2025).
Escola Secundária de Valongo – Portugal (2024).
Creative and Cultural Industries (CCIs) Euro-Mediterranean – Selected professional (2025).

My work is built through a network of collaborations across crafts, education, fashion, culture and community:
Craftwork4.0all — member of this international platform connecting 12 organisations from 12 European countries, supporting emerging craft artists and practitioners through collaboration, skills development and promotion at national and international level.
Education & academia — AMD Akademie Mode & Design (Düsseldorf, Germany), Escola Árvore (Porto), Escola de Moda do Porto, Escola Secundária de Valongo, and the Creative and Cultural Industries (CCIs) Euro-Mediterranean programme, where I have facilitated workshops and shared craft knowledge.
Cultural institutions & public entities — Valongo Municipality, Cascais Cultural Center, Porto Welcome Center, Sá Carneiro Airport, and the GIS (LGBT) Center in Matosinhos, through commissioned and site-specific projects.
Galleries & international fairs — Kastner & Oehlder Gallery (Austria), Maison et Objet (Paris), Interior Lifestyle Fair (Tokyo), Show Up (Netherlands), Portugal Fashion, Formex (Sweden) and Alberta Gift Fair (Canada).
International cultural platforms — Expo 2025 Osaka (Japan), featured artist in the Portugal Pavilion, and collaborations with curators such as Paulo Gomes.
Community networks — local artisans, women's groups and community members who co-author the Marias Paperdolls process through conversations, shared memories and gestures.
I am particularly interested in expanding my network within the European craft sector — connecting with craft practitioners, organisations and platforms that share a commitment to sustainability, co-creation and the transmission of craft knowledge.