20,000 plastic bags turned into art at AlgarveShopping – Portugal Resident
AlgarveShopping has unveiled “Genesis”, a large-scale immersive installation by internationally acclaimed Algarve textile artist Vanessa Barragão, created using around 20,000 discarded plastic bags collected at the shopping centre itself.
Open to the public at the Guia-based shopping centre in Albufeira until September 28, the installation features three suspended sculptural works “inspired by marine ecosystems and the regenerative power of nature,” AlgarveShopping says in a statement.
Developed over more than 2,500 hours of handcrafted work by Atelier Vanessa Barragão, “Genesis” invites visitors into a “unique visual and sensory experience” designed to spark reflection on “waste, transformation and sustainability”.
“We want AlgarveShopping to increasingly become a space for experiences, culture and community connection,” said AlgarveShopping manager Carla Martins.
“Hosting ‘Genesis’ allows us to present visitors with a distinctive artistic proposal that combines sustainability and environmental awareness, while also celebrating a talent born in the Algarve who is now internationally recognised.”
Originally from the Algarve, Vanessa Barragão has built an international reputation through textile artworks inspired by coral reefs, ocean biodiversity and environmental preservation. Her work combines traditional manual textile techniques with sustainable practices, reusing industrial textile waste and discarded materials to create large-scale contemporary installations.
Barragão, who has previously exhibited at the Serralves Museum, Heathrow Airport, and the Oklahoma Museum of Science, also made headlines in 2024 when one of her pieces was added to the permanent collection of the United Nations in New York, gifted by Portugal. Born in Faro, the artist has her own atelier in Albufeira.
