PUBLIC ART & CREATIVE SPACES

Murals

Where art becomes part of everyday life.

Art has the ability to transform the way we experience a place. For Mari Salmonson, murals are an opportunity to bring stories beyond the canvas, creating visual encounters that connect people, architecture, and cultural identity.

Drawing from Brazilian folklore, nature, collective memory, and the rhythms of everyday life, her public art practice combines expressive compositions, organic forms, and vivid colors. Each project responds to its surroundings, creating a dialogue between the artwork, the space, and the people who inhabit it.

Working across Brazil and the United States, Mari has developed murals for cultural institutions, community spaces, commercial environments, and private residences.

“My murals are an extension of my artistic practice, where Brazilian folklore, tropical nature, and cultural memory become part of the spaces we inhabit. Through color, symbolism, and storytelling, I transform walls into visual narratives that celebrate identity, spark imagination, and connect people to the stories they carry.”

— Mari Salmonson

Selected Projects

Brasil em 4 Atos — Kirkland, Washington, USA | 2026

An exploration of Brazilian identity, tropical ecosystems, and the stories we carry across borders.

About This Mural

Commissioned for a multicultural family in Washington State, Brasil em 4 Atos (Brazil in Four Acts) was conceived as a way to bring Brazilian culture into the family's everyday life. With an American father, a Brazilian mother, and children growing up connected to both cultures, the mural creates a visual connection to their Brazilian heritage through nature, storytelling, and imagination.

At the heart of the composition is the life cycle of the blue macaw, a recurring character that guides the narrative across four walls. From nest and chicks to the growing bird and its adult life, the macaw becomes a symbol of growth, continuity, and the transmission of cultural identity between generations.

Each wall unfolds as a different act, introducing elements of Brazil's diverse landscapes and wildlife. The journey begins in the Atlantic Forest, where a jaguar, toucan, and macaws inhabit a lush tropical environment. It then moves into a more fluid, symbolic landscape featuring a pink river dolphin, a snake, and a small orange bird. A capybara brings a sense of calm and familiarity before the composition transitions into the Caatinga, with its distinctive mandacaru cacti and armadillo. The final act returns to the macaws, now surrounded by a cashew tree and dense foliage, completing the cycle.

More than a decorative intervention, Brasil em 4 Atos is an extension of Mari Salmonson's artistic practice, which explores cultural memory, Brazilian folklore, nature, and belonging. The mural transforms a domestic space into a living narrative, where children can discover familiar animals, develop new interpretations, and build personal connections to their heritage as they grow.

Through color, symbolism, and everyday interaction, the artwork offers the family something that extends beyond the walls themselves: a piece of Brazil to live with, grow alongside, and pass on.

“For me, bringing Brazilian nature into a home is also a way of bringing its stories to life. These animals and landscapes become part of a family's everyday memories, creating a sense of belonging that can grow with each generation.”

— Mari Salmonson

https://www.instagram.com/p/DWcIS3JD7IK/ 

Brasil Encantado — Mercer Island, Washington, USA

 
Inspired by the richness of Brazilian folklore and the natural world, Brasil Encantado creates a visual landscape where imagination, cultural memory, and nature meet. The mural celebrates the stories and symbols that remain meaningful across generations and geographical borders.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZOGcgIBh-I/

Casa de Cultura do Butantã — São Paulo, Brazil | 2016

Created following an invitation from São Paulo's Municipal Secretary of Culture, this public art project brought Mari's visual language into a community cultural institution, reinforcing the relationship between artistic expression, cultural participation, and shared urban spaces.

Vila Butantan — São Paulo, Brazil | 2016

Where curatorial vision and artistic expression meet, transforming architecture into a canvas for collective creativity.

About This Mural

At Vila Butantan, a creative and cultural destination in São Paulo, Mari Salmonson led the curatorial direction of the murals that transformed the building's façade into a collective artistic composition. From defining the visual language to selecting the participating artists, her work helped establish a cohesive artistic identity that reflected the space's experimental spirit, cultural diversity, and openness to creative expression.

During the process, Mari was also invited to contribute as an artist, creating her first large-scale mural and introducing Sonhadoras (Dreamers), a recurring figure in her artistic universe.

The composition portrays a woman in profile, her eyes gently closed and her hair flowing with the wind that moves through the architecture. Rendered primarily in black and white with subtle pink accents, the figure introduces a moment of introspection amid the energy and movement of the surrounding urban environment.

Sonhadoras reflects Mari's interest in femininity, imagination, and the inner worlds we carry within us. The figure's peaceful expression and flowing lines create a dialogue between stillness and movement, inviting viewers to pause, even briefly, within the rhythm of everyday life.

The project marked an important milestone in Mari's artistic trajectory, bringing together her experience in curatorial direction and her emerging practice in public art. It also established a foundation for her future murals, where storytelling, cultural identity, and the relationship between art and architecture would become increasingly central.

“Sonhadoras was my first opportunity to take a character from my artistic universe beyond the canvas and into the city. I wanted her to feel like a quiet breath within the movement of the space, a reminder that imagination and our inner worlds have a place in public life, too.”

— Mari Salmonson

Respirartes Collective — São Paulo, Brazil | 2017

An urban art collaboration in Vila Mariana, exploring how artistic expression can become part of a neighborhood's visual identity and everyday experience.

Ultra Filmes — São Paulo, Brazil | 2017

A commissioned mural bringing expressive artwork into a professional creative environment, integrating Mari's artistic practice with the architecture of a commercial space.

Lumberjills — Santo André, Brazil | 2017

An artistic collaboration developed for a distinctive interior environment, using illustration and mural painting to give the space an original visual identity.

Ser o Que Coaching Agency — Brazil | 2015

A commissioned interior mural connecting art, atmosphere, and the experience of a professional space.

Private Commissions — Brazil & United States

Mari has also created commissioned murals for residential spaces in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis, Campo Grande, Chicago, and the Seattle area. These projects translate personal stories, interests, and cultural references into site-specific artwork.