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
