Antonia Figueiredo’s playful, vibrant paintings evoke a sense of irreverent passion and feminine power. Using acrylic, oil pastels, and collage on canvas, Figueiredo layers organic tones and textures with punchy colours to create classical and quotidian shapes contrasted by pop iconography and text. This theme of old-world-meets-new ironically mirrors the artist’s background - born in Brazil in 1997, she has since established a new life for herself in sunny Lisbon, Portugal. Inspired by the cheerful colour palette of her new home city, Figueiredo’s use of botanical motifs and crude human and animal forms lend a simple and joyful appearance to her work. On closer reflection, however, textural imperfections and shadowy tones combined with symbolic imagery reveal the self-taught artist’s exploration into themes of imprisonment, freedom, and resilience.