The Final Journey of Contemporary Artist Luísa Cunha

Luísa Cunha, one of Portugal's leading contemporary artists, passed away at the age of 77 after losing her battle to a relentless illness. Cunha was the recipient of the prestigious Grande Prémio Fundação EDP Arte award in 2021 and the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) award in 2022. The news of her passing caused great sorrow in the Portuguese art community. The artist is remembered as a figure who maintained her productivity until her last breath and left a profound mark on the art world.

Cunha was born in 1949 in Lizbon, the capital of Portekiz. Her journey into art took shape in a highly interesting way, as she studied languages rather than art in her youth. In 1972, she graduated from the Department of German Language and Literature at the Faculty of Letters, Lizbon University. Experiencing a major turning point in her life, the artist discovered her true passion at the age of 37—in 1994—while studying sculpture at the Ar.Co – Center for Visual Arts and Communication in Lizbon. Cunha, who mentioned in interviews that she never had the ambition to become an artist, stated that she almost fell into this universe.

The most prominent characteristic of the artist was her unique style woven with sound sculptures and sound art. Creating short and cyclic (loop) sound works that utilized everyday, often quite ordinary and colloquial expressions, Cunha enabled the audience to think deeply about communication and meaning through this method. Questioning the boundaries between public and private, inside and outside in her works, the artist adopted the philosophy of observing the world purely as a receiver, without any prejudice. This philosophical approach allowed her to gain a respected place both in Portekiz and internationally.

Luísa Cunha's works have been exhibited in the most prestigious museums and biennials around the world. Participating in major international organizations such as the Sidney and São Paulo Biennials, the artist also had the opportunity to exhibit her works in esteemed institutions like the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Serralves, and the Luxembourg Museum of Modern Art (MUDAM). In 2023, the MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology) in Lizbon organized the artist's first major retrospective exhibition, covering her career from 1992 to 2022. Shortly before her death, her sound installations met with art lovers as part of the Coimbra Bienali over the last three months.

Although the artist's passing marks the end of her physical presence, her artistic legacy and intellectual depth will continue to be carried into the future. Her works, especially her sound pieces that invite the audience to question even after death, will maintain their place in cultural memory. The exhibition "Turn Around," named after the artist's sound piece "Vira-te" and encompassing 25 years of her artistic creation, will remain open to visitors at the MAAT until January 2027. This exhibition stands as concrete proof that the permanent and striking legacy Luísa Cunha left to the art world will continue to be discovered by new generations.