My name is Christophe Correia. I was born in 1988 in France, in the suburbs of Paris, like many children of Portuguese immigrants, and I grew up in Portugal, between Braga and Viana do Castelo, immersed in an ancient culture shaped by the sounds of bass drums and Celtic bagpipes from the north of the country. It was in this environment that my connection to drawing and painting took root at an early age, after discovering the life drawings of my mother’s cousin, Lucinda, a plastic arts teacher.
Winning my first drawing competition at the age of five remains a story I enjoy telling: I didn’t yet know how to tie my shoelaces, but I could already hold a pencil with enough seriousness to impress a jury.
Although my academic path did not lead me directly to fine arts, it has always remained closely connected to creative practice. Trained in product design in Viana do Castelo, I never stopped drawing and painting, pursuing this practice continuously—almost as a vital necessity.
A decisive turning point came in 2018 during a road trip through southern Spain. From Figueres and Cadaqués to Seville, this journey revealed art not as a hobby, but as a true direction in life. It was at that moment that I committed more seriously to painting, particularly oil painting—a medium that has accompanied me ever since.
Since then, I have had the opportunity to present my work at several artistic events, including a group exhibition at Galerie Gabrielle in April 2019, as well as the “Peintres dans la Rue” events in Brie-Comte-Robert in 2023 and 2024.
Today, my work explores inner realities through symbolic and metaphorical imagery. Nourished by lived experiences, questions, fears, and moments of introspection, my paintings seek to create a space where emotion, memory, and personal reality meet—guided by the same sense of wonder I felt as a child, holding a pencil in my hand.