Arlette Lima returns to Monaco with a bold and playful new exhibition

After a three-year absence, contemporary artist Arlette Lima returns to Monaco with a new exhibition on view until 31 January, marking an important moment in her evolving artistic journey.

“I am happy to be invited back after three years to exhibit again here in Monaco,” Lima says. “This exhibition represents an opportunity to show my creativity and some of my artwork.”

Born in Brazil, Arlette Lima is a self-taught contemporary artist whose practice is shaped by intuition, emotion, and freedom of expression. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and her artistic language blends mixed media, collage, texture, and symbolic imagery. As described on her website, Lima believes art is an innate human power — a means of communication that transcends words and invites personal interpretation.

Storytelling though comics

For her second exhibition in Monaco, Lima revisits a collage-based approach she first explored successfully nearly fifteen years ago. This new edition introduces comic-book imagery as a subliminal storytelling tool. “I like to use comics because they are subliminal messengers of topics of social relevance,” she explains. Themes such as justice, courage, freedom, peace, love, and anti-war sentiment run throughout the works, featuring familiar comic characters presented in French and created specifically for the Monaco audience.

Beneath the playful and colorful surface lies a deeply personal dimension. Half of the collection functions as a form of self-portrait, reflecting different aspects of Lima’s personality, while the remaining works draw attention to environmental issues and encourage critical thinking. “It’s a montage,” she notes, “using creativity to deliver a second message.”

Ecological balance

One of the key works in the exhibition, Boto, is inspired by the artist’s Brazilian origins and raises environmental concerns. The boto — a pink freshwater dolphin from the Amazon River — is both a legendary figure and a symbol of ecological balance. Lima deliberately depicts the dolphin in black on a chalkboard surface. “Here it is not pink,” she says. “Many are dying.” Through this work, the artist offers a subtle yet powerful appeal for environmental awareness.

Looking ahead, Lima continues to exhibit internationally while expanding her collaborative practice, working closely with clients to co-create and customise her modern abstract paintings into unique artwork. She is increasingly focused on bespoke projects, collaborating with interior designers, real estate professionals, hotels, and private clients. At the same time, she is strengthening her digital presence through her website and media platforms, further connecting her work with a global audience.