Margarida Sardinha’s practice comprises site-specific installation, animation film and digital compositing of studies in symbolism. Often reproduced as optical illusions, her message relies on juxtaposing parallel concepts from literature, philosophy, religion, science, and art. She searches for stages of consciousness – both spiritual and cognitive – relating to cycles of growth as formal symbolic systems. Thus, Margarida engages in staging large-scale projects spanning years of research such as: Da Vinci Simulacrum, Wave-Particle HyperLightness, Oxymoron Tiling, Hyperbolic Hyparxis, Symmetry’s Portal, London Memory and Darkness Reflexions.
Her experimental animation films based on open formal systems of optical illusions won several international awards and nominations - Winner of Best Cinematic Vision Awarded by London Film Awards, Winner of Best Experimental Film at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, Great Lakes Film Festival, Creative Arts Film Festival & Bridge Fest (Vancouver) and Best Spiritual & Religious Film at the Directors Circle Film Festival; Honourable Mention at the 23rd New Orleans Film Festival, Award of Merit by the Lucerne International Film Festival, Award of Merit by The Indie, Award of Merit by The Accolade, Award of Merit by Rochester International Film Festival. Official Selections: Revelation Perth International Film Festival, San Francisco Frozen Film Festival (nominated for Best Experimental Film), 10th In the Palace International Short Film Festival, Take Two Film Festival in New York, MIA@TheArmory, Beam Festival, 5th Columbia Gorge International Film Festival, MIX on Transmedia Writing and Digital Creativity, 7th International Streaming Festival, Denver Underground Film Festival, New Jersey Film Festival, Rockland Shorts International Series, Gold Lion Film Festival, Magmart Film & Video Festival.
Margarida’s projects have been exhibited in museums and galleries in London, Lisbon and New York such as: Aga Khan Foundation Ismaili Centre, Opera Gallery London, AC Institute [Direct Chapel], Carousel-London, MIAA - Museu Ibérico de Arqueologia e Arte de Abrantes, Science Faculty of the University of Lisbon, Fernando Pessoa Museum, Natural History and Science Museum of Lisbon, Forum da Maia, Espaço Camões, Web Summit, Ericeira Cultural Centre, Menier Chocolate Factory, Candid Arts Centre, Riverside Studios, Bethnal Green Town Hall. Margarida was selected for the Aesthetica Art Prize and COCA Project, Italy in 2021 and won the Prize of Jovens Criadores in 1999. Her work is represented in several public and private collections in Portugal and her site-specific installation Oxymoron Tiling @LX Factory is a public art landmark in Lisbon.
Margarida Sardinha graduated in Fine Art Combined Media at Chelsea College of Art (UAL) & Design and Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design (Foundation BETC with Merit) in London, where she lived for ten years. She is currently living in Azueira, Portugal.