Miguel Barros is an artist whose work challenges us to think deeply about our relationship with the environment. Born in Lisbon in 1962, Barros holds citizenship in Portugal, Canada, and Angola, giving him a broad perspective shaped by his diverse life experiences. In 2014, he moved from Angola to Calgary, Alberta, a change that opened new horizons for his creative exploration. With a degree in Architecture and Design from IADE Lisbon, earned in 1984, Barros has seamlessly combined his technical background with his passion for painting, allowing him to craft a unique style that bridges the worlds of structure and imagination.
Barros’ work is deeply influenced by his multicultural background and varied experiences. His art often reflects his concern for the environment, particularly the oceans and the delicate ecosystems that exist within them. His painting Plastic Oceans serves as a prime example of this focus. Through this piece, Barros acts as a catalyst, seeking to raise awareness about the pressing issue of ocean pollution and the damage caused by human neglect and wastefulness.
The Fantasy of a Dream: A Dialogue with the Past
Miguel Barros describes his artistic process as wandering through memories. His latest works, The Fantasy of a Dream I and The Fantasy of a Dream II, both created in Calgary in 2025, bring this idea to life. These pieces are not just paintings—they are doors into the cities of his past, where architecture, history, and personal experience collide.
Both works are oil and mixed media on recycled PVC banners, measuring 100cm x 100cm each. The choice of material is intentional. Barros, deeply concerned with environmental sustainability, often repurposes materials to give them a second life. Here, the use of recycled PVC reflects his broader concern for waste and ecological responsibility. It also adds texture and depth, reinforcing the idea of layered histories embedded in urban landscapes.
Barros describes his artistic approach as being “carried away by the fantasy of a dream.” This dream is not just an escape—it is a way of revisiting the streets and alleys of his past, places he knew intimately. He speaks of these places as being filled with mystery, their century-old houses holding the weight of legends and stories passed down through generations.
A City’s Memory in Paint
In The Fantasy of a Dream I, Barros captures the feeling of moving through a city that exists as much in memory as in reality. The painting is a maze of geometric forms, layered textures, and shifting perspectives. There’s a sense of depth, almost three-dimensional, as if the city itself is folding in on itself, revealing hidden layers beneath. The palette is rich but controlled—deep blues, earth tones, and flashes of light that mimic the way city lights play against old stone and metal. The composition suggests movement, like walking through a familiar street where the details constantly shift and rearrange themselves in the mind’s eye.
Its counterpart, The Fantasy of a Dream II, continues this dialogue but introduces a different rhythm. This piece feels quieter, more introspective. The streets and buildings here are less rigid, their edges blurred as if seen through the haze of memory. The textures are heavier, with thick impastos and areas of raw material exposed. It is as if the city itself is eroding, dissolving into time, yet still holding on to its stories.
Between Reality and Abstraction
Barros’ architectural background plays a key role in his approach. His cities are not literal depictions—they are reimagined, fragmented, and reconstructed. Perspective is skewed, proportions fluctuate, and light behaves unpredictably. This is not an attempt to capture an exact place but rather the essence of many places, woven together through experience.
Yet, there is also a dreamlike quality. These cities are alive, shifting and breathing, shaped by both history and personal memory. They are places where reality and fantasy blur. The streets exist, but they also don’t. They are real, yet imagined. They are a recollection, but also a transformation.
Barros’ use of oil and mixed media adds further depth. The layering of materials—paint, recycled PVC, and other textures—mirrors the layering of history within a city. What was built centuries ago still lingers beneath modern structures, just as old stories persist beneath new ones.
A Reflection on Time and Place
The Fantasy of a Dream series is about more than just nostalgia. It is a meditation on how places shape us, how we carry them within us, and how they continue to evolve in our minds long after we have left them. Through these paintings, Barros invites us to step into his world—to walk his streets, see his memories, and feel the weight of history beneath our feet.
At the same time, his choice of recycled materials keeps us grounded in the present. These paintings are not just about looking back. They are also about moving forward, about finding new ways to create and repurpose, about making art that is not just beautiful but also responsible.
Barros’ work continues to evolve, but his core remains the same. He is an artist who builds bridges—between past and present, between architecture and painting, between reality and imagination. The Fantasy of a Dream is just one more step in that journey.
