In this conversation with Maria Gomes, Green Grammar turns its attention to the latent narratives and conceptual undercurrents that shape her work, tracing the ideas that move fluidly between painting and sculpture. At the same time, we seek to step closer to Maria’s everyday life, approaching her practice from a more intimate perspective — through her relationship with wood, her process of painting, and the role of reading in her thinking. By weaving together material, gesture, and text, this interview offers a glimpse into how she sustains an ongoing dialogue between life and artistic practice.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Maria Gomes (b. 2001) is a Portuguese artist, currently based in London, working between painting and sculpture.
Gomes explores perception, spatiality, and the gaze - framing painting as a site of encounter in which both subject and viewer become mutually aware. By placing suggestive, amorphous forms within highly organised environments, she evokes the performativity often associated with the experience of womanhood. These forms are made to perform repeatedly for and in front of one another, a dynamic that extends into the relationship between her paintings and sculptures. Through this interplay, the gaze is redistributed multilaterally — moving across viewers and objects without hierarchy or fixed orientation. Her work reflects the anxieties of contemporary life and creative practices, while critically interrogating the complexities of self-presentation.
Maria Gomes (b. 2001) is a Portuguese artist, currently based in London, working between painting and sculpture.
Gomes explores perception, spatiality, and the gaze - framing painting as a site of encounter in which both subject and viewer become mutually aware. By placing suggestive, amorphous forms within highly organised environments, she evokes the performativity often associated with the experience of womanhood. These forms are made to perform repeatedly for and in front of one another, a dynamic that extends into the relationship between her paintings and sculptures. Through this interplay, the gaze is redistributed multilaterally — moving across viewers and objects without hierarchy or fixed orientation. Her work reflects the anxieties of contemporary life and creative practices, while critically interrogating the complexities of self-presentation.
How did you begin your artistic journey?
I’ve always loved drawing and painting. I spent a lot of time drawing growing up -
I remember spending an eternity working on a drawing to gift my mother and rushing through my homework in 10 minutes. In terms of my artistic practice, I’d say my practice became more focused probably in the last year of my BA, in 2022.
But no, I don’t think there was a particular moment, I’ve always felt encouraged by the people around me to draw and paint. There was no AHA moment, it was a path that felt natural and right, and I was lucky enough to be able to pursue it.
I remember spending an eternity working on a drawing to gift my mother and rushing through my homework in 10 minutes. In terms of my artistic practice, I’d say my practice became more focused probably in the last year of my BA, in 2022.
But no, I don’t think there was a particular moment, I’ve always felt encouraged by the people around me to draw and paint. There was no AHA moment, it was a path that felt natural and right, and I was lucky enough to be able to pursue it.
How would you describe your artistic practice?
Right now my practice lands between painting and sculpture. I explore themes of performativity, the female experience, perception and the gaze. My painting explores my sculpture and vice versa, it’s an interesting back and forth between both mediums.
Sometimes I make something 2D that I feel calls for 3D, and the 3D then informs new 2D work. It’s my favourite way of making and the one I find yields the most interesting results.
Maria Gomes ’s studio
You often describe your process as a dialogue with materials rather than simply shaping them. When starting a project, how do you choose the materials you work with?
Yes, I say they’re a dialogue because the way I work attempts to respect the material in its essence. I work with oil on jute, linen and cotton, as well as with wood veneers and hard wood. I use wood in all my sculptures, firstly because I grew up in a small village in the north of Portugal and it’s completely surrounded by forest, and wood has been present in my house for as long as I remember - both to burn in the fireplace and in all of the furniture in the house. Secondly, because I find the parallel between my work and wood interesting - it’s a living material, with veins, and its own character, always expanding and contracting and adapting to its environment.
Untitled 2025, Wood Sculpture
Which cultural, philosophical, or personal influences have shaped your work?
I think conversations with my close people really have an impact on the way I think and the work I make. Deborah Levy and Annie Ernaux are 2 authors who write autofiction books, whose work I really admire, and use as references in my research and the way I think.
There’s lots of painters, sculptors, etc. whose work I admire, however I don’t necessarily consider them direct references, as I try not to have anything in mind visually as I paint. I can tell you whose work I greatly admire, one of my favourites is Pierre Huyghe, I had the privilege of seeing his show in Venice at the Pinault Collection and it absolutely blew my mind. Another show I recently went to and absolutely loved was the Anne Imhof show in Porto at Fundação Serralves.I find it so impressive how she is so prolific with such a wide variety of mediums and they all work beautifully in unison - a 10/10 from me.
I think conversations with my close people really have an impact on the way I think and the work I make. Deborah Levy and Annie Ernaux are 2 authors who write autofiction books, whose work I really admire, and use as references in my research and the way I think.
There’s lots of painters, sculptors, etc. whose work I admire, however I don’t necessarily consider them direct references, as I try not to have anything in mind visually as I paint. I can tell you whose work I greatly admire, one of my favourites is Pierre Huyghe, I had the privilege of seeing his show in Venice at the Pinault Collection and it absolutely blew my mind. Another show I recently went to and absolutely loved was the Anne Imhof show in Porto at Fundação Serralves.I find it so impressive how she is so prolific with such a wide variety of mediums and they all work beautifully in unison - a 10/10 from me.
Which cultural, philosophical, or personal influences have shaped your work?
Maria’s books collection
“As Três Marias” 2025
Oil on Canvas on Wood Relief frame
(131cm x 80cm)
Your work “As Três Marias” is very intriguing, and the title itself is quite interesting. Could you tell us more about the inspiration or meaning behind this title?
The piece is in reference to a feminist text written by 3 Portuguese women, towards the end of the portuguese dictatorship, with the same name. All three authors are named Maria, and they all co-author this text, which later gained wider recognition as “Novas Cartas Portuguesas”. The book addressed the conditions women lived in at the time, and the discrimination they endured. This text was immediately censored, and the three authors went to trial over it for “offending public morale”, which in turn attracted international press and gave this text a global wave of support.
There are often ambiguous or mysterious creatures in your work. Could you tell us more about what they represent, or how you envision them?
Yes, these are stand-ins for myself, they are a way I use to other myself in the work, and play with metaphor to relay my personal experiences. They are living, breathing creatures, they organise and respond to their environment, yet they lack eyes, mouths, and ears.
Instead, their mode of communication is closer to that of plants or natural systems. They might inhabit a time before or beyond the human - a pre-human or post-human reality -where chronology collapses and presence is not anchored to the contemporary.
The piece is in reference to a feminist text written by 3 Portuguese women, towards the end of the portuguese dictatorship, with the same name. All three authors are named Maria, and they all co-author this text, which later gained wider recognition as “Novas Cartas Portuguesas”. The book addressed the conditions women lived in at the time, and the discrimination they endured. This text was immediately censored, and the three authors went to trial over it for “offending public morale”, which in turn attracted international press and gave this text a global wave of support.
There are often ambiguous or mysterious creatures in your work. Could you tell us more about what they represent, or how you envision them?
Yes, these are stand-ins for myself, they are a way I use to other myself in the work, and play with metaphor to relay my personal experiences. They are living, breathing creatures, they organise and respond to their environment, yet they lack eyes, mouths, and ears.
Instead, their mode of communication is closer to that of plants or natural systems. They might inhabit a time before or beyond the human - a pre-human or post-human reality -where chronology collapses and presence is not anchored to the contemporary.
Maria Gomes ’s studio
Maria Gomes ’s studio
Could you describe your current life and working condition? What does your daily or studio routine look like?
Well, these days usually I get to the studio and I turn on my little heater. I jump around a few paintings, I always have multiple things I’m working on at once, then I either work on a hand carved sculpture or on digital CNC preparation. After lunch I go for a big walk with my dog who usually accompanies me to the studio, and then end the day with some research or writing or anything I need to be working on in the computer, when I feel I can’t extract anything else creative from myself - that’s also a good time to do some canvas stretching or prepping wood blocks.
Well, these days usually I get to the studio and I turn on my little heater. I jump around a few paintings, I always have multiple things I’m working on at once, then I either work on a hand carved sculpture or on digital CNC preparation. After lunch I go for a big walk with my dog who usually accompanies me to the studio, and then end the day with some research or writing or anything I need to be working on in the computer, when I feel I can’t extract anything else creative from myself - that’s also a good time to do some canvas stretching or prepping wood blocks.
Maria Gomes ’s studio
How do you balance artistic creation with everyday life?
Honestly I’m not sure I have an answer for this, I just do it and don’t think too much about it. I have days of the week where I’m not feeling creative at all so I just work on other things, and other days where I’m completely immersed in the studio. I try not to impose too much what day is for what, however I find that if I have a vague idea of what my week is going to look like then I can mentally prepare for each day and make the most out of the time I have whether it is creatively or in other work.
Honestly I’m not sure I have an answer for this, I just do it and don’t think too much about it. I have days of the week where I’m not feeling creative at all so I just work on other things, and other days where I’m completely immersed in the studio. I try not to impose too much what day is for what, however I find that if I have a vague idea of what my week is going to look like then I can mentally prepare for each day and make the most out of the time I have whether it is creatively or in other work.
When you encounter creative blocks or periods of stagnation, how do you usually respond to them?
I tend to just respect them, I get a little frustrated, I take a break, I do other things, eventually I force myself to work through them, and then suddenly I’m out of them. If I over rationalise why it’s happening, that makes me stuck. I try to just let it pass through me, and focus on simpler tasks I have to do, where I don’t need to think too much. There’s lots of work to be done as an artist that isn’t necessarily creative, and during times like this can make you feel quite productive even if the work isn’t creative, so I dive into all the things that I procrastinate
working on when I feel more creative.
What kinds of projects or directions are you hoping to explore next?
I’m looking to make more of what I’ve been making. More sculptures based on paintings and more paintings in relation to sculptures.
“PADA 54” exhibition at PADA Studios, Barreiro, Portugal
We look forward to connecting with artists, writers, organisations and to shaping Green Grammar together.
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