23 January 2025
Every so often, an artist's work travels far beyond the borders of their home country to be celebrated on an international stage — and this year, that journey brought remarkable recognition to one of our own. Associate Member Maria Goret Chagas, from Brazil, had the opportunity to take part in the prestigious "Prêmio Dama de Ouro" exhibition in Porto, Portugal, presenting one of her paintings to an international audience over the course of a three-month showcase.
A Journey From Brazil to Portugal
For any artist, having their work selected for inclusion in an international exhibition is a meaningful achievement in itself — a recognition that their art has resonated with curators and jurors far beyond their local artistic community. For Maria Goret Chagas, this opportunity meant seeing her painting travel from Brazil to take its place among the works on display in Porto, joining what would prove to be one of the exhibition circuit's most visited and celebrated shows of the season.
Running from 16 November 2024 to 16 January 2025, the exhibition offered a full three months for visitors to explore and admire the collected works — ample time for word to spread and for Maria Goret Chagas's painting to make a genuine impression on the many guests who passed through its doors.
An Honour Beyond Expectation
What began as an opportunity to exhibit turned into something far more extraordinary. Maria Goret Chagas was honoured by the jury with the "Golden Lady Award Trophy" — the "Prêmio Dama de Ouro" itself — for her painting "Sunflower." To be selected for inclusion in such a prestigious international exhibition is already a significant achievement; to then be singled out by the jury for the show's highest honour represents something truly exceptional.
This recognition speaks volumes not only about the technical skill and artistic vision reflected in "Sunflower," but about the emotional resonance the piece must have carried for the jurors who reviewed it. A sunflower — a subject so often associated with warmth, vitality, and quiet resilience — proved to be a fitting choice of subject for an artist whose own career embodies precisely those qualities. Painting with adapted technique, as Maria Goret Chagas does as a mouth or foot painting artist, demands a particular kind of resilience and dedication, and it is a testament to her skill that these qualities translated so powerfully onto the canvas, catching the attention and admiration of an international jury.
A Show of Remarkable Scale
The significance of this achievement is further underscored by the sheer scale of the exhibition itself. Over its three-month run, the "Prêmio Dama de Ouro" exhibition was visited by an impressive 12,000 guests — a substantial audience by any measure, and one that speaks to the exhibition's prominence within Porto's cultural calendar. For Maria Goret Chagas, this meant that her painting "Sunflower" was seen, admired, and ultimately celebrated by thousands of visitors throughout the exhibition's run, far beyond what a smaller, more local show could have offered.
To stand out among the collected works on display, in a show attracting an audience of this size, makes the jury's decision to award her the Golden Lady Award Trophy all the more remarkable — a genuine mark of distinction within a crowded and competitive field of exhibited art.
A Proud Moment for the Community
Achievements like this one carry significance well beyond the individual artist being celebrated. Every time a mouth or foot painting artist earns recognition on an international stage — whether through exhibition selection, critical acclaim, or, in this case, a jury's highest honour — it reinforces a message that lies at the very heart of the Association's mission: that artistic excellence is not defined by the tools an artist uses to create, but by the vision, skill, and heart they pour into their work.
Maria Goret Chagas's Golden Lady Award Trophy for "Sunflower" stands as a shining example of exactly this principle. Her painting did not simply participate in an important international exhibition — it triumphed within it, earning the admiration of jurors and the appreciation of thousands of visitors alike.
Congratulations to Maria Goret Chagas
On behalf of the entire community, we extend our warmest congratulations to Maria Goret Chagas on this extraordinary achievement. Her success at the "Prêmio Dama de Ouro" exhibition in Porto is a proud moment not only for her personally, but for the wider community of mouth and foot painting artists whose talent and determination she so vividly represents. We look forward to seeing where her artistic journey — and her brush — will take her next.
Source: VDMFK News