I am Maria Lusitano, a Portuguese visual artist born in Lisbon in 1971 and based in London since 2011.
My artistic practice has evolved through a sustained exploration of the relationship between personal experience, history, memory, imagination and consciousness. In 2016, following several years of dedicated spiritual practice and enquiry, I experienced a profound spiritual awakening that marked a significant turning point in my life and artistic journey. This experience deepened my interest in the expansion of consciousness, mysticism, ancient wisdom traditions, spiritual healing and soul-based approaches to economics and social transformation. I am particularly interested in how these fields of knowledge and experience might contribute to the emergence of a more conscious, compassionate and soulful world.
My work encompasses film, video installation, drawing, collage, artist's books and publications. More recently, my practice has expanded to include participatory and collaborative methodologies, particularly through the facilitation of arts-based workshops. These explore themes such as imagination, empathy, dreams, the soul, spiritual transformation and the relationship between inner development and collective change. At the heart of my practice lies a curiosity about the human condition and the potential of art to open spaces for reflection, connection and transformation.
My academic background bridges several disciplines. I hold a degree in Medicine from the University of Coimbra, studied Fine Art at Ar.Co in Lisbon, and completed an MFA in Fine Art at Malmö Art Academy, Sweden, in 2009. In 2015, I was awarded an arts-based PhD from the University of Westminster, London.
My work has been presented internationally at major exhibitions and biennials, including Manifesta 5, PHotoEspaña 2006 and the 29th São Paulo Biennial (2010). I have exhibited at institutions including Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Joshibi University, Tokyo (2010); Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Ireland (2013); the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Portugal (2018); MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology; and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (2019, 2023, 2025), alongside numerous other museums, galleries and independent art spaces.
I have received several scholarships and awards supporting my artistic and academic development, including the Swedish Edstrandska Foundation Scholarship, scholarships from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and research funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).
My work is represented in public and private collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum's artist's book collection, the Centre Pompidou, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the EDP Foundation and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, as well as private collections, including those of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and António Cachola.
Alongside my studio practice, I facilitate participatory arts-based workshops that bring together creative expression, contemplative enquiry and collective exploration. Drawing on artistic practices, dreamwork, ancient wisdom traditions and approaches to personal and social transformation, these workshops invite participants to explore imagination, empathy, consciousness and the deeper dimensions of human experience.
I have developed and facilitated workshops in my studio and in collaboration with artist-run spaces, museums and universities, including INSEEC and Goldsmiths, University of London, Skövde KunstMuset, Sweden, Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto (MHNC-UP), Hogarth House, London. Through this work, I seek to create spaces where art becomes not only a means of expression, but also a practice of enquiry, connection and transformation.