Vanessa Barragão is one of the featured artists in Portugal’s representation at Expo 2025 Osaka, taking place in Japan from 13 April to 13 October.
The chosen theme – “Ocean, Blue Dialogue” – reaffirms Portugal as a nation intrinsically connected to the sea and deeply committed to sustainability and the blue economy. Among the most significant moments in the programme of the Portugal Pavilion, designed by architect Kengo Kuma, stands the presence of the artist, widely acclaimed for the singularity of her work at the intersection of art, craftsmanship, and environmental awareness.
On 1 and 2 June, Vanessa Barragão presented, in the Ocean Made room, a work from the Picos series — a textile creation through which she transforms industrial waste into marine landscapes, inviting contemplation of the beauty and fragility of oceanic ecosystems.
More recently, from 30 September to 3 October, the artist performed live inside the pavilion, during which she created the piece Oceano: the first thread. Made from the recycled nautical ropes that cover the building, the work establishes a dialogue with the architectural space, symbolising the ocean as a bridge between Portugal and Japan, evoking shared memories, cultures, and futures.
More than an aesthetic gesture, this creation-performance constitutes an act of scenographic continuity and sustainable transformation, embodying the principles of the circular economy. Completed during the Expo, the piece remains on site as Portugal’s gift to Japan, symbolising the strength of the ocean and celebrating the historical and cultural ties that unite the two nations.
10 October 2025
