Meet Mariana Santos, aka ‘Mariana, a Miserável’
The works of Portuguese artist Mariana Santos, whose fictional name – Mariana, a Miserável – means the miserable one, show exactly the opposite of what she describes as a not-knowing-how-to-draw taste.
In fact, her illustrations are extraordinary considering not only execution, but also through the unique way she reveals the contrasts between expectations and reality, us and them or at least of our perceptions about the other, between thoughts, feelings and emotions that define and sometimes overwhelm us.
She uses her fine humor to present the viewer her sincere observations and conclusions regarding human nature and different life experiences. Some of those miserable moments even turn into motivational pieces of advice, in her Little Miserable Book, a truly delightful read and visual disconnection from our lower expectations and all sorts of worries to higher aims and perspectives.
So, just bury your past mindset for a while, take a risk from time to time, never stop chasing your dreams, and, as Mariana says, don’t let those negative thoughts come your way.
Part of Public Order collective show in Kingswell, LA by Society6 / Opening: Saturday, July 26th, 2014
Part of a collective show about COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey, June 2014
Sometimes I feel like an Escher drawing
Expectation vs reality
Us and them
Part of Before we die show
Part of her solo show at Objectos Misturados
Part of Love Me Tender series
Part of Little Miserable Book I and II
All images © Mariana Santos
Short artist profile: Mariana, a Miserável in her own words
Born in: 1986 in Leiria, Portugal;
Childhood dream: become a florist;
As she grew up: entered a life of “misery, cesspit and rock’n’roll”;
One step behind the fall and a marriage of convenience: she sold her heart in a souvenir store to pay the bills;
Studied: graphic design at Escola Superior de Artes e Design (Caldas da Rainha);
What happened next: she moved to Oporto and is currently taking a Master in Graphic Design and Editorial Projects at FBAUP;
Besides studying: she is involved in a number of illustration projects – she is the Director of Illustration at JUP, she takes part in many exhibitions (collective or solo), small publications, collective murals and she often designs posters for her friends as well as calendars, magazines and books.
Where can you spot her these days:
Don’t miss any updates and follow Mariana on her website, on Facebook, Instagram, Behance.