Mafalda Figueiredo

Lives and works in Vienna, Austria

Artist statement

The images we encounter in dreams are like fragments of scrambled memories - symbols colored by the emotional weight of the past. Each individual’s interpretation of these symbols is deeply personal, drawing from a blend of memories and present experiences, thus bridging the gap between past and present. I’m interested in this type of symbolic language because it is entirely subjective, open to an endless number of interpretations based on each viewers’ unique history. Similarly, in my paintings, I use familiar imagery to convey emotional experiences or thoughts. By bringing these images onto the canvas stripped from their original context, they can be seen from a distance and freely reinterpreted by others. Each observer brings their own memories and associations, creating new and endless layers of meaning. Through this surreal, symbolic lens, I reflect on identity and how it connects to the past and manifests in the present. I envision the self as split into fragments, interacting within an alternate, imagined reality - a space where past and present, memory and imagination, the visible and invisible converge. Each fragment reacts differently to its surroundings and to one another - some adopt the role of protectors or carers, others seem distracted or avoidant, while some merely observe, detached yet present, bearing witness to the unfolding dynamics. I see these interactions as illustrations of the process of thinking, where we often engage in internal dialogue, ask...

Artwork