Vanessa Barragão

Tapestry maker

©Vanessa Barragâo Studio

©Agnese Morganti

©Vanessa Barragâo Studio

When tapestries become messages

Vanessa uses recycled textile materials to create her artworks
Her inspiration comes from the sea and her desire to protect the planet
Exploring eco-friendly production methods is central to her work

Vanessa Barragão makes highly creative and original handmade tapestries and rugs that have caught the eye of connoisseurs worldwide. Her pieces made from recycled textiles have been exhibited in cities including Sydney, Taipei and New York, and Vanessa speaks affectionately of a piece called Botanical Tapestry which was presented in 2019 at Heathrow airport. Her beautiful artworks demonstrate her mastery of traditional techniques such as latch hook, crochet and felt needle and how she uses these in contemporary ways to convey important messages about the threats our planet is facing today. She received the prize for Young Innovators Creating a Better World from the Women Economic Forum 2019.

Interview

©Vanessa Barragâo Studio

©Vanessa Barragâo Studio

How did you become a tapestry artist?: I always loved fabric. As a child I made dresses for my dolls from my grandmother’s fabric waste. When I studied fashion design I realised it was not for me. I needed more contact with textiles so I moved to Porto to learn more techniques while creating pieces in my free time.
What does your work seek to convey?: I love the ocean. I grew up in a seaside city and used to travel a lot with my parents to the Caribbean. The colours of coral reefs are still in my mind like a photograph. My artworks are messages expressing our need to love our planet and take care of it.
How did working as textile designer help you develop?: I worked for the oldest rug company, Tapetes Beiriz, after my master’s degree. It was an essential step to learn more about fibres and handmade ancestral processes, and to become aware of the level of textile waste created in this sector.
Why did you move from Porto back to your hometown in the Algarve?: The world is working super fast, especially in big cities. Living in a calmer environment enables more time to develop handmade work. In smaller villages you also find artisans creating in traditional ways but they are old, and young people need to learn from them.

Vanessa Barragão is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2014