Mari Barros is a Brazilian contemporary artist based in Michigan whose multidisciplinary practice moves between abstract painting, mixed media, installation, and participatory art.With degrees in Marketing and Graphic Design and a specialization in Visual Arts, Mari brings together color, material, light, and interaction to explore themes of culture, identity, belonging, care, and human connection. She currently serves on the Board of Directors at The Box Factory for the Arts.Her work has been recognized with the 2026 ArtPrize Seed Grant and the 2025 Latino Community Award, and her artwork Funky Town was acquired by the City of Grand Rapids for its permanent collection.
At the heart of Mari’s practice is the belief that art can transform personal experiences into collective conversations. Whether through large-scale paintings or immersive installations, she creates work that invites people not only to look, but to participate, reflect, and connect.
NEXT EVENTS: SEPTEMBER 2026
September marks an exciting chapter in Mari’s artistic journey, with her work appearing across multiple exhibitions and projects in the United States and Europe.
PARIS, FRANCE
SEPTEMBER 4–6
Mari’s work travels internationally to Paris as part of the Just Arrived / I’ve Arrived exhibition at Arrive Gallery.
GLOBAL GATHERING
SEPTEMBER 11–OCTOBER 25
The Box Factory for the Arts · Saint Joseph, Michigan
Mari is both co-curator and participating artist in Global Gathering, an international exhibition bringing together artists from different countries and cultural backgrounds. Through art, stories, and performances, the exhibition celebrates the many ways culture shapes who we are and how we connect with one another.
ARTPRIZE 2026
SEPTEMBER 17–OCTOBER 3 Cūra Gallery · Grand Rapids, Michigan
For her fourth year participating in ArtPrize, Mari presents The Shape of Care, an immersive installation supported by a 2026
ArtPrize Seed Grant.
Inspired by motherhood, protection, nurturing, and the difficult beauty of letting go, the installation combines sculpture, light, shadow, projection, and audience participation. What begins as a deeply personal experience expands into a larger reflection on the people who care for us and the traces that care leaves behind.
ART × BRAND COLLABORATION · THE LONG DRINK × ARTPRIZE
As part of ArtPrize 2026, Mari collaborated with The Long Drink to develop an original interactive art experience for the brand.
The collaboration includes Hidden Connections, an interactive discovery mural created for the Long Drink ArtPrize activation, along with original artwork developed for point-of-view materials and branded giveaways distributed throughout the fall season in Michigan.
Bringing together Mari’s visual language and her background in art, design, and audience engagement, the project expands her practice beyond the traditional exhibition space and explores how contemporary art can create playful, memorable connections between brands, places, and people.
MILAN, ITALY
SEPTEMBER 18–20
Via Emilio Gola, 5 · Milano, Italy
Mari’s work continues its international journey with an exhibition in Milan, Italy, from September 18–20.
Following Paris earlier in the month, Milan marks another European presentation of her work and expands an increasingly international practice rooted in color, identity, culture, and human connection.
ONE MONTH. MANY PLACES. ONE CONTINUING CONVERSATION.
