Artist
Mafalda Vasconcelos
Mafalda Vasconcelos was born in South Africa but grew up in Mozambique. Mafalda's work is inspired by the symbolism and spiritualism of her Mozambican culture. Her process is about spiritual self-discovery, identity, cultural exploration but also about love and admiration for ancestry and womanhood. Her art is not just a spiritual quest but also a way of exploring emotions and how they relate to identity.
“My mother and her family are from the Nharinga ethnic group from the north of Mozambique. This was a very small ethnic group and due to assimilation, most of their culture was lost and not documented. My own family has no relation to this culture apart from a few beliefs and spiritual practices that they still use. By creating visual stories through portraits, I try to fill in the gaps of who my ancestors were and what they believed in and inform my identity based on this narrative."
She studied Fashion and Design at the University of Westminster and gained an MA in Fashion Entrepreneurship. After years of working in fashion, she decided to pursue her artistic career and passion. She has had several solo shows in Australia where she currently lives, and has collaborated with brands such as Sony, ASAP Mob (A$AP Rocky's Recording Label) and Song of Style (Aimee Song).
Mafalda's Style
"My work is based on the theory behind masks in my culture. Each mask represents a soul and spirit of an ancestor and is called upon during a ritual to bring a specific energy to the land. When I create, I follow the same principle - the act of painting or drawing a head or face is an allegory for wearing that face or mask during a ritual."
The theme of duality is present throughout her works and is based on personal experience. "My own duality comes from the idea that I am made of two opposing realities. My father was from a very wealthy and high family from Portugal, but my mother was from a very poor family in Mozambique. My father was born in a castle in Porto, surrounded by housemaids and influential family members. My mother was the oldest out of her 5 siblings and had to start working at 9 years old to help support her brothers and sisters - she went to school barefoot because she had no shoes to wear.
My duality comes from my ethnicity as well. I am both white and black, as I reflect on what it is like to be either it becomes clear that one informs the other. The idea that an opposing concept exists gives meaning to the other. Being mixed-race or duality itself, is complex. It requires a constant negotiation between beliefs and my understanding of the world. It is a bridge from one reality to another. The way duality exists in my work is in the difference between my painting and my drawings or digitally transformed work. My paintings are simple, with muted tones and minimal lines and my drawings are more colourful and layered."
"My work consists of female busts, heads or faces whose features are abstracted into colourful geometric shapes and lines. Each bust or head represents a spirit or a soul, that transports human emotion." - Mafalda Vasconcelos
AVAILABLE ARTWORKS
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March Drop 2024
“This is a small collection of portraits of women adorned with earrings with cosmic symbols, traditional to African spiritual practices. These symbols represent the cyclical nature of life and the waves of its ups and downs.” - Mafalda Vasconcelos
September Drop 2023
"Fashion has always had a big impact on me and my work as an artist. My academic degree was in fashion and through art, I manage to share my love for it. This collection was inspired not only by prints, but also by models in fashion editorials, reminiscing on my times working as a fashion illustrator." - Mafalda Vasconcelos, Portraits 3
Feb Drop 2023
"Beaded is a collection of portrait paintings adorned with handmade beaded frames. Each frame was designed especially for each of the artworks, inspired either by their overall expression or colour combination. These frames were made through an extensive period of time and can have more than 5000 beads each, which are all attached by hand. This collection was made in Mozambique between August and December of 2022. Focusing on traditional techniques and materials used by my ancestors." - Mafalda Vasconcelos, Beaded
Drop 4 - Autumn 2022
"Portraits 2 is a collection of small portrait paintings I made in response to my portrait collection from 2021. The intention was to create simpler and more expressive artworks, using soft and quick brush strokes, bold colours, and subtle textures on small canvases. This collection of portraits focuses on facial expression and human emotion that oppose their small and delicate canvas size." - Mafalda Vasconcelos, Portraits 2
Drop 3 - High Summer 2022
Moving back to Mozambique in the recent months has been a renewing experience. For this collection, I was inspired by the vibrancy here, not just in colours but the vibrancy of the people. The softness of their existence and simultaneously their wonder and liveliness. There isn’t a day when I leave my house and am not inspired by everyone’s generosity and optimism, regardless of circumstances. Life is the way it is… but how we connect with each other makes it even more special. - Mafalda Vasconcelos, Kaya
Diary of Mozambique
"I spent 4 months in my home country Mozambique from October 2021 until February 2022, a time cherished and well spent in nature and surrounded by friends and family. In that period of time, I traveled through the coast of Mozambique and found secluded beaches to enjoy the sun and the warm Indian Ocean, but also, traveled through lush green savannahs where Elephants and Lions crossed rivers to find food. Time flew by when I was there but every moment was precious. I made a collection of artworks when I was there, inspired by my travels and by the beauty I witnessed." - Mafalda Vasconcelos, Diary of Mozambique
