Breaking the Patterns 2025 (Creative Europe, Erasmus+ funded and Waterford City & County Council-funded Lisbon art residency)

Meu Nome é Carlos Miranda
Film, 3840 x 2160 (20:01")

During my three-month art residency in Lisboa, I enjoyed ‘touching grass’ and staying grounded in the tangible.

Our Lisbon stay concluded with the #BTPLISBOA exhibition at NowHere Gallery. I largely drew inspiration from my internship in Safra, an art community-and-gallery space nestled in a quiet but connected neighbourhood called Lumiar. My work’s focus was found in my new friend and muse, Senhor Carlos Miranda - Safra’s charismatic master framer, whom I affectionately observed throughout this journey. His playful nature and tireless work ethic immediately captured my attention. With no shared spoken language, we found creative ways to communicate. 

This body of work preserves some of my most unforgettable Lisboa moments - like following Carlos around in my ‘Carlos Miranda Drag’ and enjoying bifanas together in fabulously cheap wigs. Through his generosity, curiosity, and joie de vivre, I’m reminded of the universal bond that ties us all together.