A cidade das camélias

About the artist

My work centres on conversations. Every day I navigate a new culture and language as an immigrant. I am a New Zealander living in Portugal where my husband is from and my children were born.I printed these pieces at Coimbra's historic typography workshop Tipografia Damasceno on an 1872 Albion Press, engaging in a conversation between contemporary ideas and printmaking traditions. For me, relief printing is a middle ground between sculpture and drawing%u2014a process that involves both precision and an element of surprise.In this current series, I explore the intersections between the natural and man-made worlds. I am drawn to the symbolism of plants, their resilience and ability to thrive across borders, and how they communicate in ways that transcend spoken language. I also admire the intricate and decorative details in Portuguese architecture, which are strikingly different to those seen in the functional, unadorned cityscapes I grew up in. Through studies of these and the plants I notice, I translate my observations into a visual language that helps me establish a sense of place.

Mary Whalley (b. 1986, New Zealand) is a Coimbra-based artist and educator. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Whitecliffe College of Arts in 2008 and spent the early part of her career in New Zealand creating public art and sculpture. After moving to London, she worked as an art teacher for several years, working on projects with galleries such as the Royal Academy and Tate Modern, and received awards for her work in art education.Since moving to Portugal in 2020 and having children, Whalley's focus has shifted to printmaking, working mostly with linocuts. Her pieces have been exhibited in the United Kingdom and Portugal. In 2025, her prints were featured in a solo exhibition along with a book documenting her ongoing project paying homage to Portuguese azulejos through block prints.

More about Mary Claire Whalley

About the artwork

In 1880, Porto was named "The City of Camellias," a title celebrating the flowers that have bloomed in the city for more than a century. I've always thought of European cities as a kind of collage where generations of aesthetics are layered on top of one another. In this print, I%u2019ve used a traditional azulejo (tile) pattern of camellias and textures of pedra calçada (paving stones) to frame a simple, human gesture. A passerby carries a bouquet; we are left to wonder about their destination. The technical challenge was to create a sense of depth and variety using only a single shade of blue taken from the colour of glaze often used in azulejos. By playing with pattern and scale, I aim to explore how the structured lines of architecture, the organic forms of nature, and the presence of humans interact each other for a fleeting moment on a Portuguese street.