Words: Patrícia Barnabé
She transforms imagination into natural forms, beautiful drawings and sensory sculptures. Bela Silva’s pieces are enchanting works full of hidden depths.
Born into a family blessed with humour and curiosity, she inherited a tradition of working with one’s hands – her father with metal, her paternal grandfather with shoes. She would spend hours drawing, first besotted with Walt Disney, later with Picasso, Sonia Delaunay and Matisse. Drawing was her first love and proved crucial to her artistic development, before sculpture and ceramics entered her world. Without hesitation, she chose to pursue art early on, studying at ArCo and the Fine Arts School in Lisbon, followed by Porto’s Fine Arts School. Her time at Norwich School of Art in the UK proved transformative, as did a period at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago, which she called her “grand journey”. Her early influences included Jorge Vieira with his terracotta sculptures, and Querubim Lapa, teacher, painter and draughtsman. From them came her “first enthusiasms” and encouragement in sculpture and ceramics – “the support and example of great masters”.
Naturally, among other national and international artists, she was touched by Bordallo Pinheiro’s grace: “Nature is constantly inventing forms and movements”. One yearns to explore the details of her glazed textures, which range from pre-Romanesque church austerity to Baroque complexity. It’s as if Bela Silva seeks to materialise magic itself – in her hands, nature acquires both extraordinary delicacy and formidable strength. Her pieces are fantastic creations of reverie and simple sensations, bucolic experiences that never descend into the childish – they possess a mysterious surrealism that makes them charismatic, bold and seductive. She once told us: “Perhaps it’s more about discovering what isn’t immediately visible”.
Today, ceramics is embraced as a major art form, and Bela Silva stands as an accomplished, recognised artist, dividing her time between Brussels, her adopted home, and Lisbon, her birthplace. Beyond her drawings, sculptures, and panels, she collaborates with design brands and studios, spreading her colourful magic.
One of her most significant commissions was the Alvalade Metro Station, while her most glamorous might be the scarf she designed for Hermès – the brand discovered her work at Galerie du Passage in Paris and commissioned her. She named her creation La Maison des Oiseaux Parleurs, drawing inspiration from Portuguese tilework. The light and tiles of Lisbon remain ever-present in her work.
Q: It all began with drawing and collage – do these remain your foundation and first love?
A: Yes. Drawing truly is the foundation of everything – each line is like a fingerprint, we all have our own unique mark.
Q: Does your imagination spring from a childhood fantasy that you’ve never stopped nurturing, now intertwined with adult realism? Or is it simply an exercise in sensory pleasure that you are generously sharing with us?
A: We’re all born with a certain degree of creativity. Childhood stories, reading, travels, encounters – indeed, everything life offers, both good and bad, feeds this creative force. There’s an overflow of all this emotional material and lived experience, and a transformation, a reframing, into painting and sculpture. I feel compelled to give form to these emerging ideas.
Q: Sensory experience is fundamental for any artist, but in your case, it literally leaps out at you in terms of both the visual and the senses, in your colourful and Baroque natural world. What captivates you in the playful interplay of colours and shapes, and how did they become your distinctive artistic voice?
A: I truly love colour! I’m constantly alert to different combinations and what each culture offers. Using colour is a magnificent challenge – beyond its chromatic reality, colour carries important centuries-old history, with meanings that shift across geographical and historical contexts. It’s utterly fascinating. As for form, I’m drawn to the interplay of proportions and how volumes relate to one another.
Q: I know you also draw references from Art History – why is research so important to you? What has been captivating/inspiring you lately? And what themes do you return to again and again?
A: Research is absolutely essential, and I delight in learning new concepts and revisiting established ones. My recent journeys to Brazil and Mexico left an indelible mark on me. The human connections I made, my discoveries in literature and visual arts, my encounter with the breathtaking natural world and my exposure to new visual languages. All of these experiences profoundly transformed me.
Q: Public art opens up an entirely different realm: How does one navigate the transition from intimate creation to works meant to be viewed from afar, on the street, especially when the power of your art lies so much in its details?
A: Public art presents a unique challenge that must be approached as a collaborative endeavour. It demands a careful consideration of urban planning and how the work will dialogue with its surroundings. During my time at the Art Institute of Chicago, I witnessed how Calder’s, Picasso’s and Dubuffet’s sculptures exemplify excellent public art, enriching the daily lives of passers-by. They’re truly magnificent pieces! In Brussels, the placement of Calder’s work near the music museum, high above the city, perfectly illustrates my philosophy. Public art is a complex dialogue between multiple elements: the artist, the artwork, its environment, perspective, proportion, form and colour. But it also involves numerous other considerations: economic factors, technical challenges, weathering over time and environmental exposure. Perhaps most challenging is the artist’s journey from creating intimate pieces to working on a monumental scale. During a meeting with Louise Bourgeois in New York, she spoke to me about the importance of scale in my work, though at that point I’d had very few opportunities to express this characteristic in public spaces.
Q: You’ve worked at the Viúva Lamego and Bordallo Pinheiro factories. Do you consider this engagement with traditional factories a crucial step in your development? Did you learn much from the process? Why?
A: These experiences were valuable, yet sometimes frustrating. You lose a certain intimacy and privacy, and you must adapt to the factory’s rhythm, which often leads to delays in completing works. It can become quite anxiety-inducing and exhausting.
Q: In 2024 you exhibited in Niterói, and in 2023 you were at the Casa Atelier Vieira da Silva with Da Vista um Rio. Can you tell us about the projects that most captivated you in 2024, and what exciting developments are coming up in 2025 that you’re able to share?
A: I deeply appreciated the intimacy of Vieira da Silva’s studio. For that exhibition, I chose to focus on her love of folk ceramics as inspiration for both my collages and drawings. It was like creating a visual diary of sorts. Exhibiting at the Niterói Museum, designed by the architect Oscar Niemeyer, was an incredible opportunity to show work in such a charismatic and globally renowned museum space. It was a chance to present my work to Brazilian audiences while paying tribute to their culture. I immersed myself in Brazilian literature, music, architecture and the vibrant spectrum of colours found in nature. Brazil was, indeed, a defining moment of 2024. For 2025, I’ve decided to turn my attention to Africa. From my childhood I remember a couple, friends of my grandparents, who were from São Tomé and Príncipe. They were absolutely beautiful and elegant! Visiting their home was like embarking on a journey filled with colour, texture, culinary delights and hearty laughter. The environment was naturally sophisticated, brimming with joy, fascinating objects and countless stories. I’ve decided to dedicate my upcoming Brussels exhibition to them, as they truly enriched my childhood.
Q: You participated in the Obrigada à Terra exhibition at the Palace of the Dukes of Cadaval in Évora in 2023. Do you feel that ceramics is finally receiving the respect and appreciation it deserves? And if I may ask a more poetic question: do you, Bela, feel grateful to the earth? : )
A: I feel grateful to the earth, to the air, to the water… to the universe. For the opportunity to participate in this miracle of existence. I must confess, lately I’ve been terribly saddened by the violence, warfare and polarisation in society. No one seems capable of elegantly disagreeing with others anymore. Everything descends into conflict, with the possibility of dialogue completely shattered. Human beings need beauty, need to be with others, need conviviality and joy.
Q: You’ve done a number of collaborations – from ceramic pieces for Serax to silk scarf designs for Hermès, including the exquisite La Maison des Oiseaux Parleurs collection, and carpets for Codimat. Tell us about the collaborations that have challenged you most, both past and present? And what about that rather unexpected homeware and fashion line you created for Monoprix?
A: These opportunities tend to arise abroad, and an artist’s work can be quite solitary. These collaborations allow me to work with diverse, fantastic teams. It’s an entirely different exercise from my usual practice – one must think about quantities, costs, feasibility. These collaborations allow me to work with different mediums and materials, democratise access to my creations and introduce my work to a broader audience beyond the art world. These aspects matter tremendously to me.
Q: You’ve studied and lived abroad, with projects worldwide, and now live in Belgium. Apart from family and friends, what is it that draws you back to Lisbon?
A: It truly is my family that brings me back, along with some friends. When I’m in Portugal, naturally I enjoy all the wonderful things our country has to offer. However, I do believe we need to take greater care in preserving our architectural heritage and traditional shops. I’m convinced that with a bit more strategic planning, we could better harness this surge in tourism and interest in Portugal, while looking after those most in need and preserving the authentic character of our beautiful cities.
