Mariella Smilas (b. 1999), a Portuguese-British artist currently based in London.
Mariella’s work explores the intricate relationship between memory, language, and material. She paints experiences often too heavy to carry or too delicate to touch, yet they remain deeply woven into her identity.
At the heart of her practice lies the repetition and layering of text - personal fragments - used to form a visual language where meaning both emerges and dissolves. This evolving language transcends the literal, subtly transforming the surface of the work. Through a cyclical process of layering, erasing, and revealing, language becomes more than spoken; it is stitched into the skin of the piece through a rich array of materials.
Her work becomes an act of stitching time - drawing memory and meaning to the surface, only to blur and obscure them again. Through this ongoing unveiling and erasing, she invites us to explore the space between remembering and forgetting, between the known and unknown.
Copyright © Mariella Smilas, 2025. All rights reserved.