Embark on a journey through the vibrant imagination of Brazilian painter Surina Mariana, the featured artist in our 13th exhibition, as she articulates her artistic vision in her own words.

Being a child in Brazil during a time of scarce resources, I learnt to create with anything I could lay my hands on. I made sculptures tying strings to bricks and wrote stories on my Dad’s typewriter. Painting however, came my way only when I met the Dharma at the age of 33.

It has been a decade since I fell in love with the view of non-duality. As soon as I started to walk the path, images of Buddhas and golden whales flooded my atelier. From the very beginning I sensed the Dharma was everywhere and I wished to disappear into its mystery. That is why I started and continue to paint.

I use watercolor and gouache to compose minimalistic imagery.  A lot like zen-inspired artists, my artwork has very few elements depicting the Dharma in ordinary life. I like to portray playful scenes, like a Buddha drinking a cup of coffee or a lady watching death through the tea kettle.  I can be in the atelier for long periods of time and I only finish an artwork when I feel it has landed. Where exactly?

I don’t know.

But I wish to bring that sensation of landing to others.

My illustrations have been featured in the Brazilian Buddhist Review Bodisatva a few times, book covers and illustrated books in my home country. My paintings and commissioned works are in private collections and homes all around the world, such as Bhutan, India, the United States, Australia, Denmark, Germany and Spain. In October 2023, a few of my pieces were exhibited in Bodhgaya as part of Siddharthas Intent’s Sahaja Art Exhibition.

I also work as a writer and live in the countryside of Portugal with two cats & and a cactus forest. After years in a long-distance relationship, I finally met Dzongshar Khyentse Rinpoche in 2023 and have been receiving his teachings as a student since then.