Maria Mergulhão is Portuguese artist and poet graduated in fine arts in London, currently living in Lisbon. At the Museu Municipal de Faro, she presents her exhibition Messages in a Bottle.

The exhibition encompasses many messages, which come from pop music, a genre heard by the artist, who lives and conveys it as if that were her voice. The artist’s poetry is also a strong voice felt in her work. And we feel the power of it and the images, which leave no one indifferent. There is excessive use of fluorescent tones, which draw attention in the long and narrow room of the museum where they are exhibited. They demand great proximity between the visitor and the works, something purposeful and that pleases the artist.

In each painting, there is an almost visceral story. We feel it when we see the images and read the sentences, with great impact, that speak about personal experiences, love relationships, conventions, existential questions.

London’s influence is also massive, evident in her painting and poetry. Proof of this is an excerpt from one of her poems, included in the exhibition’s text:

London you left,

And I wanted you inside me,

I wanted that ecstasy and that orgasm,

But Brexit despised me,

I need to mention that, frantically

In the about section in my website,

It was, again unrequited.

A betrayed friend,

World-wide seen,

So very clear sighted.

U.K. and my ID no longer United.

Another major influence in Maria Mergulhão’s work is Klimt, an artist whom she first saw as a child and fell in love with.

The poetry created by the artist is also very important in her life. It is a daily need and a way to express every event in her life. It translates in an artistic way and is always present.

Through painting and poetry, the artist confesses and physically materializes what happens on the psychological side, returning these thoughts back to life.

Messages in a Bottle. Until March 23, 2020, at the Museu Municipal de Faro.