Tiz Leão (b. 1998, Lisbon) is a Portuguese artist whose practice explores the body’s relationship with nature and the metamorphosis of the self. Transitioning from a background in Design to a Master’s in Painting, she works across oil painting, ceramics, printmaking, and sculptural objects. Her work is deeply rooted in the "border territory" between the plains of Monsaraz and the coastline of Parede, drawing inspiration from Maurice Sendak’s wild universes to create a personal mythology inhabited by symbolic animals and monstrous figures. Through a ritualistic methodology influenced by Winnicott’s "transient objects," she uses fragments of the Mediterranean landscape to investigate themes of belonging, ritual, and the triad of time.
Tiz holds an MA in Painting, a degree that consolidated her transition from material construction to a deeper psychic exploration. Her process often extends beyond the canvas, utilizing drawing as a fluid daily gesture and ceramics to give physical weight to her "unborn myths." By blending the technical structure of her design heritage with the expressive density of oil painting, she materializes restless thought into forms that inhabit both domestic and collective spaces.
Tiz Leão (b. 1998, Lisbon) is a Portuguese artist whose practice explores the body’s relationship with nature and the metamorphosis of the self. Transitioning from a background in Design to a Master’s in Painting, she works across oil painting, ceramics, printmaking, and sculptural objects. Her work is deeply rooted in the "border territory" between the plains of Monsaraz and the coastline of Parede, drawing inspiration from Maurice Sendak’s wild universes to create a personal mythology inhabited by symbolic animals and monstrous figures. Through a ritualistic methodology influenced by Winnicott’s "transient objects," she uses fragments of the Mediterranean landscape to investigate themes of belonging, ritual, and the triad of time.
Tiz holds an MA in Painting, a degree that consolidated her transition from material construction to a deeper psychic exploration. Her process often extends beyond the canvas, utilizing drawing as a fluid daily gesture and ceramics to give physical weight to her "unborn myths." By blending the technical structure of her design heritage with the expressive density of oil painting, she materializes restless thought into forms that inhabit both domestic and collective spaces.
EDUCATION
2021-2023
Master’s in Fine Arts Painting
Faculty of Fine Arts University of Porto, Portugal
2018-2019
Erasmus+ Industrial Design
Polytechnic of Bari, Italy
2016-2019
Design Degree
Faculty of Architecture, University of Lisbon, Portugal
UPCOMING INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS
2027
GALERIA SANTA MARIA MAIOR, LISBON, PORTUGAL
EXHIBITIONS
2026
Creating and Holding Space
Bohio Creative Gallery,
Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
2024
Esticando o Horizonte
(Stretching the Horizon)
Tiz Leão e Ricardo Sousa Monteiro, Largo das Artes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Pequenos Formatos
Galeria Monumental,
Lisboa, Portugal
2023
Eu quero a minha Cama do Alentejo (My Alentejo’s Bed),
Túnel Space, Portugal
2022
Entre Portas
FBAUP Museum, Portugal
Open Studios
FBAUP, Portugal
2021
Boa Hora
FBAUP Museum, Portugal
AWARDS & RESIDENCIES
2026
Monte da Japónica Residency
Alentejo, Portugal
2024
Art Residency EV_LARGO
Largo das Artes e Espaço Vazio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Pela palma do Pé Project
Gap Year Portugal Grant in partnership with Cascais Municipal Council
2023
Árvore das Virtudes
shortlisted, Cooperativa Árvore, Portugal
Henrique Silva Visual Arts Prize, shortlisted, Casa da Cultura de Paredes, Portugal
PUBLICATIONS & COMMISSIONS
2024
Intervalo Analítico
Journal of the Psychoanalytic Society of Rio de Janeiro cover
Art Rio
online article exhibition: Esticando o Horizonte
Das Artes
online article exhibition: Esticando o Horizonte
