CRISTINA MAYA CAETANO

 

ARTIST STATEMENT

 

Cristina Maya Caetano is Portuguese, born in Angola, lived in Mozambique for some years (both old Portuguese colonies in Africa) and currently lives in Portugal between the cities of Aveiro and Pinhel.

Cristina has extensive professional experience, passing from Teaching, Development Agent, Service Director, Regional and Urban Planning Higher Technical.

Cristina is a writer, visual artist, illustrator and poet and until 2010, she used Cristina Maia Caetano as artist name. She published her first book “Conhecer o Teatro em Moçambique” in 2004. Based on her master’s thesis, it was the first book about theater in Mozambique to be published, having also been put on sale in Mozambique. In 2011, based on this her Book, she was invited to publish an article in the magazine Identidades N. 3, in Brazil.

She was a columnist for Jornal Abrantes; Aveiro Diary; Radio FM Aveiro; Pinhel Falcão and Online Root newspapers with the chronicle “Ver e Sentir” (2012- 2005). The artist with training in Theater, also participated in the film “Teias da Vida” in 2017.

She is an award-winning painter and she participates in important exhibitions in the world like: Spain; Germany; France; Italy; USA, Austria; Scotland; Sweden; Hungary; England; Japan; Portugal; Denmark; Switzerland; Morocco; Belgium; Luxembourg; Ukraine; Algeria; India¸Croatia, Argentina, South Korea. Her work is published in International specialized Magazines and Art books, and in (2024).she is “Portugal Judge”  on the judges panel of the international exhibition “Language of Co-existence, Art”  – 10th Geoje International Art Festival  at the Haegeumgang Theme Museum in South Korea.

Cristina loves writing and her favorite subjects are child’s imagination and human emotions. Fairy tales, poetry, children’s stories and novels appear in her work. Painting and Illustration emerges naturally from her writing. Often her oil paintings were born from poems that she created and to which she gave a breath of self-existence.

She has edited in Portugal two volumes (The Search and The Master) of her childhood collection and trademark ” Fadinha Lótus” (Little Lotus Fairy) written and illustrated by her with the use of mixed techniques. With her Fadinha Lotus (Little Fairy Lotus) collection, Cristina makes her presentations in schools and in various institutions with music and puppets, which represent the characters she created. “O Pequeno Pinguim” and “Continhos de Luz” are other children’s books, also illustrated by Cristina using colored pencils, felt-tip pens, oil pastels, acrylic and eco-lines. At the moment, Cristina is writing the books in her “Floco Doce” series.

Since 2009 Cristina participates in poetic events, newspapers and magazines of poetry (Portugal, Spain; India / Abu Dhabi), and poems published in twenty-eight poetry magazine and anthology books. Her poems have been published in several languages (Spanish, French, English, Italian, German) in poetry collection books in Portugal, Italy and Argentina. In Argentina, (2022) one of her poems was awarded, and in Italy (2023) she produced prefaces by international poets and translated poetry into Portuguese.  The artist belongs to the poetic movement  “Movimento poético de Pinhel”.

In 2015, with the death of her father, Cristina became the caregiver for her mother, who had always been in fragile health. From 2018 onwards, her mother gets worse and Cristina reduces her participation in artistic activities to give her more attention. In 2020, her mother became demented and soon became bedridden, and Cristina abandoned art (appearing sporadically, particularly in activities related to poetry) to take care of her alone full-time. In March 2024, with the death of her mother, Cristina goes through a phase of mental and physical recovery and slowly resumes her artistic profession.

The vocation of Cristina is sensitive and lives in her spirit, intending to spread spirituality and sensitize the world for the light and love. The main themes and focus of her work consist of the invisibility of what is beyond human vision, in constant spiritual growth, conscious of the union of everything and everyone. For this, Cristina turns to the figurative with analysis and preferential study of the human being, landscapes, symbologies and to nature with special focus on flowers, plants, animals and birds. Always keeping in mind the meaning of the “objects” in study allied to what she intends to convey. Cristina transforms “what she see”, in what she “feel” with the eyes of her innerself. To these “ingredients” she mixes the abstract with the colors and their respective messages, in a harmonious color complement. In all Cristina’s work, she always give a personal and unique stamp to every painting, which she intends to stand out from the visible reality, to allow the entrance of the dream, of the realization of ideas and the disclosure and construction of a better new world.

For Cristina art is life, light, vibration, harmony and love. Art is EVERYTHING!

She has her paintings in private collections, institutions and museums.

 

EDUCATION 

2019 Studies “Decoração de Interiores e Jardins” in “Escola de Talentos”, Aveiro, Portugal.

2014 Training in “Artenautas do Brincar”,  Museu do Brincar, Vagos, Portugal.

2013 Training in “Escrita Criativa”, DEGEI: Departamento de Economia, Gestão e Engenharia Industrial da Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.

2012 Trining in “História da Arte”, Unave – Training in, Portugal.

2012 Workshop “Fabrico de marionetas”, Museu do Brincar, Vagos, Portugal.

2012/2011Training in Theater and Film with participation in the play and film“Teias da vida”, CLAII, Aveiro, Portugal.

2011 Training in “Ilustração”, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Aveiro, Portugal.

2009  Training in “Contadores de história do mundo”, CLAII, Aveiro, Portugal.

2003 Master Degree in “Estudos Africanos” in “Faculdade de Letras Universidade do Porto”, Portugal.

2002 Course of “Monitora de Artes Decorativas em Madeira”, Lisbon, Portugal.

2001 Summer Course “Oficina de artes – pintura a óleo”, Pinhel, Portugal.

2001 Course of “Monitora de Artes Decorativas”, Lisbon, Portugal.

1998 Graduate in “Estudos Europeus e Comunitários”, ISCIA, Aveiro, Portugal.

1997 “Estudos Europeus ”, University of Port, Port, Portugal.

1993 Degree in “Planeamento Regional e Urbano” University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.

1991 A semester in a “Curso de Pintura e Desenho,” by the University of Aveiro – Associação do Conservatório Regional de Aveiro Calouste Gulbenkian, Aveiro, Portugal.

1985 She does as a self-proposal external student, the history discipline of the 10th and 11th of the humanistic area, being a student 12. year of the science.

1985 “I Parte do Curso de fotografia”, Guard, Portugal.

 

APPOINTMENTS:

2024 “Portuguese judge” – member of the international panel of judges for the exhibition “Language of Co-existence, Art”  – 10th Geoje International Art Festival  at the Haegeumgang Theme Museum in South Korea. In this context, she publicized in the media, organized and coordinated the poster and video of its 22 international artists “Presentation of the Group of Portugal”.

https://www.facebook.com/hggmuseum/videos/2206463483019324

2024-2023 Coordinated “Arts in private classrooms”, Aveiro, Portugal.

2023 Curator of the Portuguese language and director of the prefaces of the participating authors and the general preface. (in Portuguese, Italian and English), in the anthology TRILOGIA POETICA “ACQUERELLI. WATERCOLOURS. WATERCOLORS”, Edizioni Universum; Capri, Italy.

2017 Coordinated and directed the video “Interpretação do trabalho da artista pelas crianças” – (Children’s interpretation of the artist’s work) – AADE gallery, Pinhel, Portugal.

2014 Coordinated, guided and participated as a teacher of arts for children in the summer project “Educura”, São João da Madeira, Portugal.

2014-2010 Coordinated, guided artistic and cultural activities in several Portuguese schools and institutions – “telling, interacting and promoting activities with children and teachers“, with her “Fadinha Lótus” books (like:  Pinhel Municipal Libraryl; Brincar Museum; Exhibition at the Pinhel Parish Council; Schools of Guarda; Belmonte, Marcos de Canaveses; Sabugal; Esgueira; Vilar and others), Portugal.

2013 Coordinated and taught painting classes for the elderly at the “Academia de Saberes” in Aveiro, Portugal.

2006 Coordinated and guided the exhibition “Olhar de Mulher” at the Municipal Gallery of Aveiro – painters and photographers from Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.

1999-1996  Coordinated and guided several cultural activities in her role as Director of Services at the University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.

1994  Coordinated and carried out projects as a “Cultural Agent” in the performance of her duties as Vice-President of the Licoa Association, allowing the recovery of chapels and churches in the municipality of Pinhel, (CCR- Coimbra); Pinhel, Portugal.