Gilda Silva Barros, 26 years old, Cape Verdean born and raised in the City of Mindelo, island of São Vicente, began her artistic journey early, in secondary school, when she was still attending the technical course in Civil Construction, at the Technical School on the island of Saint Vincent. However, it was when he embarked on the Design field, at M_EIA, that he discovered his interest in Graphic Design and Urban Art, with Graffiti. 

Upon completing his Degree in Design, in August 2018, without thinking twice he decided to create his first mural, as a form of intervention in the public space on the streets of Mindelo. From then on, other opportunities arose and his journey as a Mural Artist was born, which continues to this day.

 

Of the various mural painting works he has already carried out, highlights include the work carried out at the Portuguese Cultural Center in Mindelo, at Quintal das Artes and other murals spread across the city (as part of Cabo Verde Ocean Week). Workshops and urban art events are also part of his career, having participated in the Kriol Urban Fest in the city of Porto Novo, Santo Antão island in 2018/2019, Xalabas di  Komunidadi in Cidade da Praia island of Santiago in 2019 and 2021.  

 

In 2020, he participated in the competition held by CNAD at the annual URDI Crafts and Design Fair with the theme “Lossguia - Sea in creation” in the city of Mindelo, with two projects, one collective and the other individual, which were selected to be part of the Exhibition of Design Created in Cape Verde. He also participated in the Public Art competitions, launched by Fundação Amilcar Cabral 2018 and Poster Design for the Kriol Jazz Festival in the City of Praia and on the island of Sal 2019/2020. Recently he collaborated in the project ‘’One wall at a time’’, in partnership with fellow artists, in the remodeling and painting of some Children’s Gardens and Schools in the city of Mindelo. She was recently invited to participate, as an illustrator of the Portuguese children's book, Raizes Negras, co-authored with Lúcia Vicente in 2020 and was challenged to illustrate 50 black people, who were and still are an inspiration to many, with the their stories of struggle, survival, overcoming and many dreams, namely MalcomX, Nelson Mandela, Nina Simone, Cesária Évora, Angela Davis, Amilcar Cabral, among many others.