Biography
Blake Prol Barbosa is a Galician multimedia artist and printmaker based in Manchester. Working across printmaking, textiles, painting, and slow handcrafts, their practice is rooted in craftsmanship as an act of resistance. Every element is made by hand, foregrounding labour, care, and devotion in defiance of cultural acceleration and disposability.
Through these processes, Barbosa explores worldbuilding from a queer perspective, constructing spaces where identities and stories outside the binary are central. Christian iconography is a recurring motif in their work—approached as both inheritance and tension. Symbols of faith are reimagined through a queer lens, shifting from instruments of exclusion into vessels for belonging, beauty, and renewal.
Currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University, Barbosa is an active member of the 1838 Collective, a postgraduate-led initiative bridging the gap between university and the professional art world. The collective emerged in 2025 with SRISHTI, a large-scale exhibition of 28 postgraduate artists that Barbosa co-curated and organised, shaping its vision, logistics, and promotional strategy. Since then, 1838 has grown into a platform for workshops, exhibitions, and professional support for emerging artists.
Alongside this, Barbosa is also a founding member and designer for Intersect Arts Collective, an initiative supporting people with mental health difficulties in accessing creative spaces. Across these roles, they remain committed to creating structures—both artistic and social—where vulnerability can be visible, held, and honoured.