Tiago Mestre was born and raised in Beja, in the Baixo Alentejo region of southern Portugal. From an early age, he had contact with the ceramic production typical of the region's potters' workshops. His father worked at the Rainha Dona Leonor Museum, a regional museum of ancient art located in a former 15th century monastery. In this formative context, Mestre had access to a vast repertoire of archaeological and historical images, the result of living with his father's work—references that remain alive in his approach as an artist.
In 2001, he graduated in Architecture from the Faculdade de Arquitetura de Lisboa. In 2008, he joined the MAUMAUS Independent Visual Arts Studies Program and, in 2009, he completed the Advanced Painting Course at Ar.Co (Lisbon, Portugal). In 2016, he received a Master's degree in Architecture from the Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo (FAU-USP).
Based in São Paulo for the last twelve years, Mestre has developed his work in painting, sculpture and installation, through which he explores his initial training in architecture and incorporates the languages of contemporary art. In addition to his training, he has held residencies in Brazilian and international institutions, such as Oficinas do Convento (Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal); Troy Town Art Pottery and Gasworks, with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation grant (London, 2019); Kaaysá - Art Residency (Boiçucanga, 2018); PIVÔ Arte e Pesquisa (São Paulo, 2016), among others.
His work investigates the idea of displacement, both in terms of discipline and territory. His sculptures and installations reflect his status as a Portuguese artist living and working in Brazil, and are anchored in a centuries-old tradition marked by the colonial past between the two countries. Through critical procedures focused on materiality, elaboration and modes of presentation, his work explores the human and artistic flows that cross this historical relationship.
Using materials such as clay, bronze, plaster and oil paint, his work establishes a continuous relationship between project and unpredictability, between program and expressive freedom. His paintings and sculptures share technical procedures and modes of display, becoming more like investigative systems than works defined by genres or fixed categories.
His solo exhibitions include: Fogo Fumo, at Gomide&Co (São Paulo, 2025); Realismo, in the project Uma Certa falta de Coerência (Porto, 2024); Feu, at ZSenne ArtLab (Brussels, 2024); Céu, Terra, at Museu Aberto (Monsaraz, Portugal, 2024); Sun, sun, sun and Empire at LAMB Gallery (London, respectively in 2024 and 2023); Boa tarde às coisas aqui embaixo, at Olhão and shown with Dudi Maia Rosa (São Paulo, 2020); Noite. Inextinguível, inexprimível noite. at Galeria Millan (São Paulo, 2017); La Californie, at Centro Cultural São Paulo - CCSP (São Paulo, 2016); All the Things You Are, at Kunsthalle São Paulo (São Paulo, 2014), among others.
Recent group shows include Terra, at Claraboia (São Paulo, 2025); Inatividade contemplativa | Projeto GAS - 5ª edição, at Anita Schwartz Galeria de Arte (Rio de Janeiro, 2025); Eu sou devedor à terra, at Museu Aberto (Monsaraz, Portugal, 2024); Ervas Daninhas, at Quadra Galeria (São Paulo, 2024); Pequenas pinturas, at auroras (São Paulo, 2022); Barefoot, at Large Glass Gallery (London, 2019); Smog - Projeto Kubikulo, at Kubik Gallery (Porto, 2019); Raid_8, at Galeria Raquel Arnaud (São Paulo, 2016); Festival Arte Atual - Coisas sem Nomes, at Instituto Tomie Ohtake (São Paulo, 2015), among others.