Signature Room by Sílvia Patrício

She was born in Paris, France, in 1974. Since 2007, she has devoted herself entirely to the visual arts.

In 1997, she held her first exhibition: “O OUTRO LADO”, in Leiria. A pictorial exploration of the forest and the world of trees – a theme to which she is currently returning. The world of botany proves to be a constant source of fascination; there is a parallel between it and the structure of societies. This applies both to the influence that nature has on us and the influence we have on it. She exhibited at the Unamuno Gallery in Salamanca, Spain, with the theme “SUSURRANDO UNA HISTORIA” in 2007.

In 2009, a painting exhibition entitled “ESSA PAIXÃO PROIBIDA” was launched, based on the novel *O Crime do Padre Amaro* by Eça de Queiroz; it was shown at the Galeria Ensaios in Leiria, and in 2012 at the Resende Cultural Centre. This exhibition was later (in 2013) printed on large-format canvases and displayed in the streets of Leiria’s historic centre, forming part of the Queirosian trail.

In 2011, inspired by the world of Portugal, she created a series of paintings inspired by her reading of Portuguese folktales and legends, which were also exhibited at the Ensaios Gallery in Leiria.

Forming part of the ‘Entremuralhas 2009’ Gothic Music Festival, the exhibition ‘ENTREMUNDOS’ was inspired by this world – from poetry to sounds.

The following year, 2012, she created a series of works entitled “DO PRINCÍPIO AO FIM”, which centred on the human condition. Exhibited at the BAG in Leiria and the CCC in Coimbra, the project was presented once again in Paris in 2013, at the Casa de Portugal, with the support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Camões Institute.

Seeking to explore other languages and modes of thought, and in collaboration with Sofia Mota, through photography, video and installation, she created “ONÍRIA” in 2013: a journey into the feminine psyche, to which she would one day like to return.

Her stay in Porto in 2014 gave rise, in partnership with São João Hospital, to “DA CURA A FELICIDADE”, an exhibition that brought together personal accounts and experiences of the illness – from healing to the process of overcoming it – resulting in a collection of paintings.

In 2016, after reading one of the world’s oldest books, the Bible, ‘HUMANÁRIO’ was born. She selected a passage from the Old Testament – an account, a description of the creation of the world. How, in seven days, light emerged from darkness, and everything came into being from nothing, right up to the Big Bang her research, culminating in an exhibition of paintings and installations in Leiria at the BAG (2016) and at the CCC (2017) in Lisbon.

Following a brief spell in Macau, she took part in the exhibition marking the centenary of Camilo Pessanha, as well as in the Macau Biennale (artfem) in 2018 and 2022.

In the context of religious art, in 2017 she was commissioned to create the official images of the Little Shepherds of Fátima, to mark their canonisation and the Pope’s visit to Portugal. They were displayed on the façade of the Sanctuary and later added to the Fátima Museum’s collection.

In 2018, the artist returned to the theme of botany; inspired by her reading of Goethe’s *Metamorphosis of Plants*, she creates “METAMORPHOSIS”, a body of work comprising paintings and installations which will be exhibited that same year at the Galeria Arquivo and at BAG in Leiria in 2020.

In the 2021/22 academic year, she took part in the ‘Faces’ exhibition at the Fátima Museum, exhibiting five works – paintings and sculptures.

In 2022, she exhibited at the FROM DATA TO WISDOM, co-authored with researchers from the Institute of Philosophy at the University of Porto, at the Biodiversity Gallery – Centre for Living Science, MGNC, Porto. That same year, she took part in the ARTE BOX project, organised by the ARTE INSTITUTE, a travelling exhibition held at various international airports (in Europe and the USA).

A public sculpture was unveiled in the city of Leiria in 2022, in honour of Cardinal Dom António Marto. In 2023, she had the opportunity to create the ‘reliquary heart’, a gift from the Shrine of Fátima to Pope Francis on the occasion of his visit to Portugal. In early 2024, a set of stained-glass windows and three new sculptures were unveiled at the Church of Golpilheira.

In addition to the exhibitions presented here, over the years she has undertaken commissions in the fields of painting, sculpture and architectural installations. Her works are held in both public and private collections.