2025
Cam Stass is a Belgian painter and illustrator whose artistic universe delves into the world of dreams. With a delicate and poetic aesthetic, her work brings to life compositions that harmonise shapes, colours and natural elements, evoking dreamlike and deeply symbolic scenes. A graduate of the Académie des Arts de la Ville de Bruxelles, Cam Stass creates everything from large-scale murals and canvases to illustrations inspired by her travels around the world. Currently, her research focuses on the relationship between movement and change – two forces that fuel her passion for travelling and discovering new cultures. With an international and community-based career, she has already left her mark as a muralist in Belgium, Ghana, Senegal and the Canary Islands, and has run art workshops for children and young people in various regions of Europe, Africa and Latin America.
Cam Stass chose the Azores as the setting for her new creative journey. Over the course of a month-long residency, between April and May 2025, the artist explored the islands of the Triangle – Faial, Pico and São Jorge – on foot, by hitchhiking and by boat, in a process of total immersion in nature and island life. Through encounters, observations and exchanges, her work seeks to reflect the uniqueness of the archipelago and its profound imagery.
This artist-in-residence programme is based on a sensitive perspective on the islands of the Triangle – Faial, Pico and São Jorge – and the artist’s desire to reveal, through painting, the essence that unites them. Inspired by the mist and the play of light that transform the landscape, by nature’s small creations and by the deep connection between human beings and the natural world, Cam Stass presents a body of work that celebrates the beauty and mystery of these islands.
Through a triptych—three wooden panels painted with acrylic paint—characteristic elements of each island emerge intertwined, to the point of becoming inseparable, accompanied by traditions shared by all three. The artist aims to convey this serene rhythm of life, marked by the connection between the inhabitants and nature, as well as the community spirit that breathes life into each island – the heart that sustains this island way of life.
The artwork establishes a visual and symbolic link that invites reflection:
“What truly unites these islands?
And how can we, as a community, strengthen that bond?”
AMARRAS, the work created during the residency, aims to convey the serene rhythm of life on the islands, guided by nature, the proximity to the sea and the strength of the community. Although each panel can be appreciated on its own, it is only when brought together that they fully reveal their meaning — just like the islands, which, despite their individual characteristics, are made stronger by their unity. Designed to be displayed in public spaces, weather-resistant and intended to travel around the islands of the Triângulo, the work will be exhibited outdoors in symbolic locations: the lighthouses of the three islands.
AMARRAS by Cam Stass,
A TRAVELLING EXHIBITION ACROSS THE TRIANGLE ISLANDS, ON DISPLAY AT THE LIGHTHOUSES OF FAIAL, PICO AND SÃO JORGE DURING THE SUMMER OF 2025.
A triptych installation in acrylic on wood, designed to be displayed outdoors near the lighthouses on the three islands. The work will be on display throughout June at the Ribeirinha Lighthouse on Faial. In July, it will move to the Ponta da Piedade Lighthouse on Pico, and in August it will be at the Ponta dos Rosais Lighthouse on São Jorge. In September, it will return to Faial to be displayed at the Capelinhos Lighthouse.
The artwork is designed to be displayed in public spaces and integrated into the natural landscape, specifically at the lighthouses on the three islands, as these are iconic locations that symbolise unity—between the islands, and between humanity and nature—and provide greater public access to art. This approach also creates an art trail that simultaneously highlights the local landscape and the lighthouses, whether abandoned or still in operation, as part of the region’s heritage. Residents and visitors will be able to view the work for a total of four months throughout the summer, with it being displayed for one month at each lighthouse: the opening will take place at the Ribeirinha Lighthouse (Faial), followed by the Rosais Lighthouse (São Jorge), and subsequently the lighthouse at Ponta da Ilha (Pico). Finally, the work will return to the place where it was created — Capelo — and will be exhibited at the Capelinhos Lighthouse, bringing its journey to a close with a complete cycle across the islands of the Triangle.
