Portuguese artist’s newest exhibition explores emotion, memory, and the healing power of art.
Portuguese artist Marta Vieira Pinto continues to transform deeply personal experiences into captivating works of art with the opening of SOB O OLHAR (Under the Gaze), a new collaborative exhibition that debuted on June 20 at the Casa da Cultura da Trofa in northern Portugal. Running through July 25, 2026, the exhibition marks another milestone in the artist’s rapidly evolving career while inviting audiences to experience art as both reflection and emotional connection.
Created alongside a fellow artist, SOB O OLHAR was born from the meeting of two creative voices and two unique ways of experiencing the world. Together, they have crafted an exhibition that explores emotions, memories, gestures, and perception, encouraging visitors to look beyond the obvious and discover what lies beneath the surface.
More than a collection of paintings and sculptures, the exhibition invites viewers to pause, reflect, and embrace the quiet dialogue between artwork and observer. It asks not only that visitors look at the art, but that they allow the art to look back at them.
For Marta, that philosophy has become the foundation of her artistic identity.
Since transitioning from a successful career in fashion design to the visual arts, Marta has developed a distinctive style built around emotion rather than representation. Every painting captures a specific feeling or moment from her own life, transforming personal experiences into textured abstract compositions filled with movement, color, and depth. Her background in fashion continues to influence her creative process, as she frequently incorporates textiles, layered materials, and sculptural textures into her canvases, creating richly tactile visual narratives.
Her sculptural work follows the same emotional path. Working with cold clay, Marta creates expressive masks and imaginative characters that inhabit a world somewhere between fantasy and reality. Each piece is accompanied by an original conceptual narrative that reflects the world as she wishes it could be—one built on resilience, hope, empathy, and imagination.
The new exhibition expands upon that vision by presenting a body of work that is simultaneously sensitive, vibrant, and profoundly human. Rather than offering straightforward answers, the pieces encourage viewers to bring their own memories and emotions into the experience, allowing every interpretation to become deeply personal.
The healing power of art has also become an increasingly important part of Marta’s mission.
Recently, the artist welcomed a community mental health team for a guided tour of the exhibition, using the opportunity to discuss how artistic expression can serve as a valuable therapeutic tool. By sharing the stories behind her paintings and sculptures, Marta demonstrated how creativity can foster emotional well-being, encourage self-reflection, and create meaningful conversations about mental health.
That message aligns naturally with the philosophy that has guided her work since she first began painting professionally.
As previously featured by Millennium Magazine, Marta believes her greatest success comes not from completing a work of art, but from witnessing the emotional connection people experience when they encounter it. Whether through textured abstract paintings, handcrafted masks, or whimsical sculptural figures, every creation begins with a feeling and ultimately seeks to inspire one in return.
With SOB O OLHAR, Marta Vieira Pinto continues to demonstrate that art is far more than something to be admired on a gallery wall. It is a conversation between artist and audience, a space where vulnerability becomes beauty, and where emotion has the power to transcend language.
As visitors continue to explore the exhibition through July 25, Marta invites them to do more than simply observe her work. She hopes they will discover a part of themselves reflected within it.