About the artist

DaCosta (b.1993) is a self-taught visual artist born in Cascais, Portugal, who from an early age revealed an innate ability to create imaginary universes, heroes and creatures. Restless, he began exploring spray paint at the age of twelve and has not stopped since. Having recorded numerous interventions on street walls, private works and even some collaborations in commercial projects, his desire to go further did not stop there. Over time, and because with talent comes the weight of responsibility, his work began to address environmental and social problems, using animals to take the place of people, thus personifying, in a critical way, everything that happens around him. Frequently using irony in his pieces, he introduced us to his imaginary, critical and comical world. The idea that he would not stop at 2D remained in his mind, and in 2022, when he came into contact with the ancestral method of manufacturing Portuguese tiles, an infinite world of possibilities was revealed. After the amazement of someone who records countless broken tiles and internalizes the stunning, unexpected results that only firing tiles can achieve, this artist in change sees his passion (almost obsession) for traditional Portuguese tiles born here. DaCosta immediately embarked on a journey that already includes several kilometers of tiles made, if it were possible to measure an artist's journey in meters. In 2022, he presents us with work based on a modern-classical dichotomy translated into Renaissance compositions, his fascination with nature and also all the inputs from the world around him. Influenced by his fertile imagination, DaCosta brings back to the world pieces in archaic tiles, full of visual minimalism and simple design, but always full of powerful or pertinent messages. Currently, his main mission is to promote and spread traditional Portuguese culture embodied in tiles. We can therefore say that "Wherever DaCosta's (p)art goes, it will be accompanied by this artistic heritage of Portuguese Tiles." His goals are to work with Portuguese tiles, this brand that represents Portuguese culture beyond borders, in the same unique way that dates back to the 15th century, and to exhibit his art so that it is accessible to everyone. And for all this... DaCosta feels at home on the street!

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