Coral reefs around the world are in grave danger, and Vanessa Barragão is trying to raise awareness about this issue through her art. She specializes in making tapestries, rugs, wall hangings, and textile sculptures that mimic the immense beauty of coral reefs.
Barragão discovered her passion for textile art while studying fashion at Lisbon University in her home country of Portugal. After graduation, she decided to fully shift her focus to textiles and worked at a rugs factory in north Portugal to learn more about the textile business before it became her true calling.
Since she grew up in a coastal city, the ocean has always been one of her main sources of inspiration, but her obsession with coral reefs grew stronger during her childhood trips to Jamaica with her family.
“The coral reefs were the most impressive thing I ever saw, and they inspired me so much… Seeing the colors fading away year by year on the bottom of the Caribbean Sea was probably, the main inspiration for my creations once I started university,” the artist told Museum Week Magazine.
Barragão is using her art to raise awareness about the harmful impact of human industries on our environment, with a special focus on the consequences of ocean pollution.
