Inês da Silva
Mural Artist
Inês da Silva
Mural Artist
The Artist
Inês da Silva is a Visual Artist from Aveiro, Portugal, with a degree in Visual Arts, specializing in painting, from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto.
Her artistic practice covers various media, from drawing and painting to textiles, with her current focus being mural painting.
From an early age, she has been interested in how art is capable of transforming spaces, cities, and the people who inhabit them, taking art out of the space of museums or galleries and bringing it into everyday life, where it can constantly communicate with people.
Curriculum and Experience
Degree in Visual Arts
September 2022 - July 2026
Degree in Visual Arts with a specialization in Painting, at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto
"Pigmentamina 500mg"
June 2025
Collective exhibition at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Porto
"UUUUAAAAAAUUUU"
June 2026
Finalist exhibition at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Porto
Erasmus +
September 2024 - February 2025
Semester at the Faculty of Fine Arts of St. Cyril & Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo, under the Erasmus program
"Forgive me for not having looked at you more closely"
April 2026
Solo exhibition at the XXII Symposium of the Portuguese Society of Suicidology, in Castelo Branco
"Hypnopompia"
June 2026
Exposição coletiva na Galeria Catapulta pelo Coletivo Cicio
Education
Exhibitions
"For Saudade"
September 2026
Collective exhibition at Cooperativa Árvore and artwork display at Superbock Arena during the European Grief Conference
Recognitions
Member and Co-founder of Coletivo Cicio
November 2025 - Present
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Scholarship Recipient
2022 - 2026
A bit of history...
«It is difficult to answer the question: how long have you been painting?
I have been painting for a long time, but I think I was an artist long before that.
These are photographs of my childhood bedroom, full of color, art, and poetry. It was here, in this enchanted world, that I slept for most of my nights during the most essential phases of my development.
So I ask: how could I have become anything other than an artist?
Tinha os meus 4 anos quando tive o primeiro contacto com o muralismo, num espaço de casa onde tive liberdade para criar e ser criança.
Quando, mais tarde, voltei a pintar murais, o meu corpo parecia recordar-se do gesto, do suporte. O sentimento é, sempre, de regressar a esta idade, a este momento, de regressar a casa.
To get where I am today, I would say there were two major pillars that led me to pursue a career as a muralist: my childhood and my education in the arts.
Regarding the latter, my greatest thanks go to Professor Francisco Fonseca who, through his culture and knowledge, his affection, and his attention to all his students as both artists and individuals, made me look at art not just as an activity, but as a means of communication, as a discipline, and as a way of looking at the world.
Thus, in my 12th grade, the Pátio das Artes project emerged, a new and more professional contact with muralism, which led me to enter university with the thought: "my goal is to be a mural painter."
It was in 2022 that I began my undergraduate degree at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, in the Fine Arts course, with a specialization in Painting.
From these 4 years of discoveries about art, being an artist, and about myself, I oscillated between various mediums and techniques, had the opportunity to discover and rediscover myself countless times, coming to the conclusion that an artist is never just one thing, and that is a good thing.
This journey would not have been the same without the professors who marked my learning: Professor Joana Rego for the trust she has in each of her students and for the creative freedom she allows us; Professor Diniz Ribeiro, for his dynamism and the passion with which he speaks about what moves him, transmitting the same inspiration to his students; and Professor Domingos Loureiro, for having the most important role a teacher can have - making their students think. I am deeply grateful for having made me a thinking artist and person.
I also highlight the importance of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in my academic journey, for the awarding of a merit scholarship during my undergraduate years, allowing me projects and experiences that, otherwise, would not have been possible.
Last but not least, I highlight the creation of the Cicio Collective in November 2025, allowing for sharing and mutual aid among colleagues in a competitive world, fostering debates, questioning, and a capacity for teamwork. As your colleague and, especially, as your friend, I can say that you were the most enriching part of this journey.
After 22 years of living and breathing art, I decided that passions should be invested in, and in September 2026, I began my professional journey as a muralist, with the certainty that I am the sum of my memories and the people who have marked my path.
The rest of the story is yet to be written, and I can hardly wait for what is to come.»