Angelina Maia was born in Nantes, France and has been living in Portugal for almost 30 years.
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Sensitized to art from a young age with a grandfather who drew, she started to paint in her teens, motivated by a drawing teacher who encouraged her brushstrokes.
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In 2007, she took oil painting classes to perfect her technique. She devoted herself intensely to the creation of paintings for many years, influenced by her dual French/Portuguese culture and strongly inspired by her experience of living in Cape Verde where she discovered African art.
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The artist discovers a passion for cardboard in 2011 during a training course in cardboard furniture construction with Master Craftsman Marie-Hélène Zeidan, author of numerous books on the subject. This material meets the artist's desire for material, texture and volume.
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Very quickly, she evolved towards an artistic universe by creating busts in cardboard lace which allow her to express her emotions, her sensitivity. Her sculptures are worked with passion and a certain attention to detail, each of them are unique pieces. It is a real challenge to start with a so-called "poor" material and to sublimate it into a real work of art.
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Particularly attracted by the female body, its delicacy, fragility and movement, she is inspired by Greek statues of antiquity and also by sculptors such as Alfredo Giacometti and Igor Mitoraj. She likes to think of her sculptures as fragmented, disintegrated, rather like the remains of ancient statues that have just been dug up. Breast cancer is also a theme that is dear to her, it can be found in several of her busts.
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The artist participates in numerous international exhibitions such as Art Nordic Copenhagen, Artexpo New York, Art Shopping Paris, she is chosen to represent Portugal at Art Connects Women Dubai 2022 etc...
Her works are exhibited in art galleries in Portugal, France, Switzerland and also in the Musée du Cartonnage et de l'Imprimerie in Valréas (France).
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Private collections in Germany, England, Canada, Denmark, United States, India, Italy, France, Netherlands, Switzerland and Portugal.
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Busts sold at auction for the St Etienne de Bolton Foundation (Canada).
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