Portuguese artist Cristina Rodrigues was born in 1980 in Porto, where she studied and began her professional career as an architect, later moving to Lisbon and then the Algarve. In 2009 she moved to Manchester, United Kingdom, where she lectured at university, developed her doctoral research and started her career as an artist, which would later return her to her home country.
Cristina holds a PhD in Art & Design from Manchester School of Art (2016), a Master’s Degree in Medieval and Renaissance History from the University of Porto (2007) and a Honours Degree in Architecture from Lusíada University (2004).
Her art work has been exhibited internationally, in Europe, Asia and South America, with several solo exhibitions. These include ‘Echoes of the Sea’, 2018, at The Hillside Forum, Tokyo, Japan; ‘The Shroud’, 2017/2018, at Naves Matadero, Madrid, Spain; ‘The Kingdom of Heaven’, 2017, at Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, United Kingdom; ‘A Retrospective’, 2017, at Centro de Cultura Contemporânea, Castelo Branco, Portugal; ‘The Shroud’, at Colombo Art Biennale 2016, in the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour, Colombo, Sri Lanka; and ‘La Pasión’, 2016, a monumental exhibition installed at 5 of the most iconic monuments in the city of Seville, Spain: Fundación Valentín de Madariaga y Oya, Portuguese Pavilion, Universidad de Sevilla, Casa de la Provincia and Real Alcázar de Sevilla.
Several of Cristina’s works have been acquired for the art collections of museums and public entities, namely Manchester Cathedral, UK; Cheshire East Council, UK; Municipal Museum Amadeo Souza-Cardoso, Portugal; Centro de Cultura Contemporânea, Castelo Branco, Portugal and the Portuguese State.
Through her art, Cristina draws imaginary narratives linking her personal journey as a Portuguese woman in a global context to a world of symbolisms. Each of her art installations is locally inspired yet universal in meaning, and each intentionally touches the lives of those who are involved in its artistic production. As to her audiences, Cristina’s creations can take an international contemporary spectator into a transcultural and transtemporal journey.
