ABOUT
Associating and concretising characterise the works of Maria Teresa Crawford Cabral. The process of finding the final picture is determined by random elements – scars on the picture object, colour structures, imprints of the body. Cabral develops poetically surreal paintings from these unspecified circumstances, which remain puzzling in spite of their vividness. They are like a narrative kaleidoscope, which generates uncountable views without decoding the presentation.
Cabral’s picture compositions base on a process, whose results remain open to the end, and in which spontaneity and intuition are the directors. Free from rational considerations and control mechanisms, the composition alone steers the shape of the picture with its own rules and requirements. This is how Cabral’s paintings develop into a crystallisation point of art subconscious, which at the same time is a phenomenon of revealing our presence.
Dr. Sabine Weicherding,
September 2012 ( from the preamble - Associations and concretising -)
VITA
Born in Lisbon in 1959. Portuguese and German nationality
Grew up in Angola, living in Germany since 1986
Visual artist since 2001
Education
1977 – 1980 - Ar.Co Lisbon: Fine arts - Full three-year program Painting. Majoring Painting, tutored by João Hogan
1979 – 1984 University of Lisbon: Studied philosophy. Degree - Lic. (Licenciatura Superior) "with distinction".
1995 - 2002 FH Dortmund: Visual communication / graphic design. Graduation with the overall grade - very good (1.1)
Teaching
Teaching assignment at the Ruhr Academy 2008 - 2024
Lecturer for nude drawing, and Painting - for all students in the fields of art, illustration and communication design, from 1 to 8 semesters.
Artistic career
2001 - Setting up her own studio. Intensive dedication to large-format painting. During this time, the series of paintings was created: The Thirteen Vortlönen, now part of the Berardo art collection. These works mark the beginning of the artistic career and are the first works of an individual and congruent artistic process.
2008 - All the works produced up to this point are included in the Berardo collection. 179 works of art, including 40 large-format paintings.
2008 - 2009 - These works are presented to a wide audience in a nine-month solo exhibition, A Mãe das Mães, at the Casa das Mudas Arts Center, Madeira.
2009 - Broadening of artistic horizons with a one-month stay at Worklodges Point B in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY.
2010 - 2011 - Continuation of the exhibition A Mãe das Mães for six months in Sintra Modernarte MU.SA, Sintra - Lisbon.
2014 - Invitation to join the Dortmunder Gruppe artists' association. Since then, regular participation in regional art events, exchanges with partner cities and collective exhibitions.
2017- Scholarship from the Sacatar Foundation, Bahía, Brazil / Pasadena USA with two-month participation in the artist residency program in Itaparica, Brazil
2020 - “Art In Transition" grand prize from See|Me New York
2023 - nominated for the St. Leopold Peace Prize.
2024 - Invitation to a twelve-month solo exhibition at Quinta Magnolia - Centro Cultural, Funchal, Madeira "occupying the entire Cultural Centre, 2 floors with 6 exhibition rooms, starting in November 2024 and ending in November 2025".