Barragão has exhibited her work across the globe
Algarve artist Vanessa Barragão has unveiled a stunning new art installation at the Tivoli Carvoeiro Algarve Resort that weaves together the Algarve’s identity with a strong environmental message.
‘Maré’ (meaning tide) is a large-scale textile piece which is currently on display as part of the ongoing Tivoli Art program.
Created originally for the Centro de Artes e Ofícios de Albufeira, an art hub in Albufeira, the installation “symbolically represents the return of the artist to her hometown.”
The art piece is inspired by the “movement of the tides, evoking cycles of arrival or departure, personal transformation and the passage of time.” Meanwhile, the forms and textures of the installation pay tribute to the Algarve’s famous coastal landscapes, from its crystal-clear seas to its limestone cliffs.
Barragão, who has previously exhibited at the Serralves Museum, Heathrow Airport, and the Oklahoma Museum of Science, also made headlines in 2024 when one of her pieces was added to the permanent collection of the United Nations in New York, gifted by Portugal. Born in Faro, the artist has her own atelier in Albufeira and has become recognised internationally for her eco-conscious textile works that combine traditional craftsmanship with sustainability and an “organic aesthetic inspired by marine biodiversity.” One of the most notable aspects of her art is how stunning and large-scale displays are created with recycled materials, especially wool fibres, by using ancestral techniques such as crochet, felting and Smyrna cross stich.
Admission to Maré is free and open to the public until the end of July.
The exhibition is the latest initiative taking place as part of Tivoli Art, the Tivoli Hotels & Resort art program. Over the years, the group has strived to infuse art into its hotels and resorts, “transforming each one into a living gallery” whilst also providing a platform for distinguished and up-and-coming artists.
