10 Questions with Selma Eduarda Pereira

Selma Eduarda Pereira (b. 1983, Lagos, Portugal) holds a PhD in Digital Media Art and frequently publishes her research in international journals. An artist and researcher, her work has been showcased across Spain, the UK, the US (California), Italy, and South Korea. She is interested in creating art through digital media and merging these forms with fashion, textiles, and other tangible materials. Recent exhibitions include Síntese at the CICA Museum in South Korea (2024), and Hands at Gallery, The House of Smalls in Edinburgh and Chipping Campden, UK (2024). Additional notable shows are BodySpaces at the Canvas International Art Fair in Italy (2023) and Nature of Digital Dreams at the Cyber Dreams VR Exhibition during the Burning Man Festival in London (2020). In works like Síntese and Hands, Selma utilizes Augmented Reality (AR) to create interactive experiences, blending traditional textile art with digital innovation and inviting immersive audience engagement. Beyond her artistic production, Selma has served as curator for significant projects, including Trust in the Process at The Wrong Biennale (2023) and The Destinies of Senses, a virtual pavilion for the International Digital Art Biennale (2020). Her curatorial and artistic practice emphasizes cultural diversity, the preservation of intangible heritage, and aesthetic inquiry in digital media art.

selmaeduarda.pt | @selmaeduardapereira

ARTIST STATEMENT

As a multidisciplinary artist, Selma Pereira bridges traditional textile practices with contemporary digital media, crafting immersive experiences that challenge the boundaries between the tangible and the virtual. Deeply rooted in the cultural richness of textile traditions, her practice explores how technology can extend these ancestral crafts, introducing new dimensions of meaning and interaction. By incorporating digital tools such as Augmented Reality (AR), she invites audiences to move beyond the visual realm, entering a space where tactile materials and digital storytelling converge.

Selma’s installations aim to preserve and reinterpret intangible cultural heritage, celebrating diversity in both content and form. Through layered patterns, textures, and digital components, her work evokes collective memories, paying homage to the artisans whose practices have been shaped by generations. Simultaneously, her creations reflect a commitment to sustainability, employing materials and methods that strengthen the connection between art, culture, and the environment.

In projects such as Hands and Síntese, the interactive dimensions encourage participants to explore textures, uncover narratives, and actively co-create meaning. Her work is not merely an exploration of media but a celebration of global identities and the unique ways in which cultural stories unfold and evolve in the digital age. Constantly inspired by the dialogue between the handmade and the technological, Pereira strives to create spaces where art, tradition, and innovation intersect in meaningful and transformative ways.

INTERVIEW

Let’s start from the basics. Who are you, and how did you develop into the artist you are today?

I am Selma, a Portuguese artist born in Lagos in 1983. I have always been passionate about the arts, and my journey has consistently been intertwined with academia, first as a student and later as a professor. My interest has always gravitated toward experimenting with materials and techniques, particularly exploring the combination of fabrics and soft materials.

What training or experiences helped you develop your style? Has your PhD research influenced your artistic practice at all?

My academic journey as a student was highly transdisciplinary. I initially enrolled in Sound and Image at ESAD in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, and later pursued Fashion and Textile Design, in Castelo Branco. During this second degree, I interned in London with designer Michelle Lowe-Holder, where I discovered the express potential of textiles and fashion as art. After completing my degree, I took a short specialization course in Textile Design at Central Saint Martins in London.
After completing my degree, I took a short specialization course in Textile Design at Central Saint Martins in London, where I refined my skills in fabric manipulation techniques. When it came to choosing a master’s degree, I opted for a different field, focusing on the history and heritage of the Algarve through a master’s in History of the Algarve. This allowed me to delve deeper into local traditions, particularly textile heritage.
By the time I started my PhD, I had already decided to focus on the artistic field and pursued a doctorate in digital media art. My PhD research was practice-based, allowing me to develop more artistic installations, often in collaboration with my supervisor Adérito Fernandes-Marcos, fellow artists, and researchers. During this period, I am also exploring post-digital aesthetics within my artistic practice.
Throughout my academic career, I participated in several artistic residencies. After completing my PhD, I started teaching Fine Arts in collaboration with the Biennial of Art in Vila Nova de Cerveira, in northern Portugal, which marked the beginning of my regular exhibitions both nationally and internationally.

You work by combining digital media with traditional textiles and fashion. What inspired your interest in these mediums and in mixing them together? 

From a young age, I enjoyed creating with fabrics and soft materials. Textiles, with their immense potential for shaping and modelling, have always been my preferred medium for sculpting and crafting three-dimensional forms. My interest in combining them with digital media emerged later as I began experimenting with media art, which naturally aligned with my artistic exploration.

Speaking of your work, how do you approach integrating Augmented Reality (AR) into your art pieces like Síntese and Hands?

When combined with tangible works such as Síntese or the textile panel Hands, Augmented Reality adds a layer of interactivity that enhances viewer engagement. It enables the incorporation of digital storytelling, which can be easily accessed by any mobile device with internet connectivity. AR extends the lifespan of these artworks beyond their physical forms, making them accessible without geographical constraints. It provides continuity to the work, offering a more immersive yet highly accessible experience.

Can you share your creative process when developing immersive and interactive experiences for audiences?

My creative process is deeply connected to research and a post-digital approach. The concepts I explore often resonate with contemporary digital culture, reflecting the significant amount of time I, like many others, spend online. After defining the concepts, I work on them both through design and material experimentation, as well as theoretical exploration. This materialisation process involves experimenting with textiles in their tangible forms and digitally. From there, I develop the artwork, carefully considering both the tangible and virtual experiences it offers. I then adapt the work to fit physical, virtual, or hybrid exhibition formats. Regardless of the medium, my focus on textile materials, the tactile appeal, and the discovery and interaction they invite remain constant.

Your work often explores cultural diversity and intangible heritage. How do these themes shape your projects? And what message or experience do you hope viewers take away from your art?

For many years, my artistic production has been closely tied to ancestral textile traditions and intangible knowledge, serving as visual references, themes, and practical techniques. This connection was a key factor in my choice to pursue a master’s degree in history. I have always been drawn to different cultures and their unique practices. In today’s globalised world, discussing and valuing these traditions is more urgent than ever. For me, it makes perfect sense to work with these themes, aiming to inspire reflection and appreciation.

What challenges do you face when blending traditional materials with digital technologies?

The greatest challenge lies in creating works that not only incorporate traditional materials but also engage and educate the audience. Digital technologies significantly enhance the potential of these materials, especially in terms of dissemination, interaction, and appreciation. Finding the right balance between tradition and innovation is key.

How do you see digital media art evolving in the next few years, and where do you see yourself in that future?

It’s difficult to predict the future as digital media evolves rapidly, and I believe this pace will continue. I see myself continuing to explore and investigate these themes, adapting my practice to these changes and contributing to the ongoing dialogue.

You also curated exhibitions like Trust in the Process and The Destinies of Senses. How did you approach curating, and what did these experiences teach you about your work as an artist?

The Destinies of Senses was an online pavilion developed for The Wrong Digital Art Biennale, which brings together artists and curators from around the world. This project, created before the COVID-19 pandemic, brought together artists from diverse artistic disciplines and geographic locations, united by their engagement with media art. The exhibition was hosted on two online spaces: a dedicated website and a pavilion in the metaverse, specifically on Second Life. In addition to showcasing artworks, we organised workshops, lectures, and artist talks. It was a highly demanding project, as neither the artists nor the audience were entirely familiar with this format, but it was incredibly rewarding.
Trust in the Process is a more recent exhibition developed with students for The Wrong Biennale, featuring a simpler format based on a website. While The Destinies of Senses was a journey of discovery, Trust in the Process reflected the lessons learned from prior experiences, offering a more streamlined approach.

And lastly, what are you working on right now, and what can we expect to see next from you?

I am continuing to develop my artwork, blending textile art with media art. In addition, I combine my roles as a professor and researcher, so my artistic production is a fusion of these overlapping and mutually influential fields. Future projects will continue to explore these intersections, bringing new perspectives to both tangible and digital media.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.