I Feel More Human Under Water
Slow down and dive in. At the Museu do Mar Rei D. Carlos, Cascais’ sea museum, named after King Carlos I, a keen oceanographer, artist Sara Matos Ferreira presents a collection of ceramic and jewellery pieces inspired by the sea. Together they draw visitors into the calm of the deep ocean, where silence reigns and the body floats free.
“Clay follows the pulse of the body; and the body, when it dives, follows the pulse of the water,” says the artist.
Shaped by meticulous work with texture and a deep commitment to protecting the oceans, this is an exhibition made to be felt and reflected upon. It also has a social purpose: 20% of the proceeds from sales of the works go to Movimento Claro, a Cascais-based ocean conservation association.
“My work brings together mixed techniques, ceramics and jewellery, in which I reconcile the deconstruction of art with the rigour of my engineering background. I find inspiration in nature, in my passion for diving, in the seabed and its textures, where there is no noise and no chaos. Through my pieces, I seek to express my commitment to defending the oceans and my deep respect for them.” Sara Matos Ferreira
Opening: Saturday 21 November at 16h30.
More information: +351 214 815 906 | museumar@cm-cascais.pt
Sara Matos Ferreira is a visual artist who lives and works in Lisbon. She holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from the NOVA University Lisbon School of Science and Technology and spent eight years working for Engiarte Engenharia e Construções S.A.
When the company closed, that change, together with her long experience as a volunteer in Mozambique, set her on a new path, and she turned to her passions: visual arts, jewellery and ceramics.
She trained in jewellery at Escola Contacto Directo in Lisbon and took professional ceramics courses at CENCAL in Caldas da Rainha, going on to work professionally in both fields, which she also teaches.
In October 2017 she opened her own studio in Lisbon, Mitó Creative Site, where she creates her work and runs workshops and courses in ceramics, jewellery and visual arts. From 2018 to 2023 she taught ceramics at the Senior University of the Areeiro parish council.
Her bond with the sea goes beyond her art. She is an SSI-certified diver with Advanced and Rescue training and has taken part in seabed clean-ups in Cascais organised by the Movimento Claro association. She also spends time in Indonesia, where she has been involved in observing and conserving marine life, deepening a relationship with the ocean that has become central to her work.
