Lives and works on Gadigal land (Eora/Sydney). Born 1981.

Drawn to the strange and uncanny, I often begin with observed forms and textures that stir a visceral, sensual allure — the tentacles of a jellyfish, the gills beneath a mushroom, or the sheen of a material that defies expectation. I’m captivated by visual ambiguity: how wax can appear wet, or marble can suggest softness. My aim is to create something visually arresting — whether beautiful, grotesque, or somewhere in between.

As my practice has evolved, I’ve become less interested in embedding my work with overt symbolism or narrative. I prefer art that resonates instinctively, much like a piece of music.

My work has been exhibited in both Australia and the United States, with recent exhibitions including the National Art School Graduation Show (2025), Street Candy (NAS Library Stairwell Gallery, 2025) and Sculpture at Sawmillers (2022). I was a finalist in the Gosford Art Prize (2022) and have exhibited internationally at Leimin Space (Los Angeles), Nous Tous (Los Angeles), Dab Art (Ventura, CA), and Gallery 66NY (New York).

ABOUT


EDUCATION

2025

Bachelor of Fine Arts
National Art School

2005

Master of Economics (Social Sciences)
University of Sydney

2001

Bachelor of Commerce
University of Wollongong


National Art School Grad Show, 2024
Darlinghurst, NSW

Collage Atelier, 2024
Surry Hills, NSW

Gosford Art Prize (Finalist), 2022
Gosford, NSW

Sculpture at Sawmillers, 2022
McMahons Point, NSW

Articulate Project Space, “Proximity”, 2021
Leichhardt, NSW

Paste-Up Biennale, 2020
Broken Hill, NSW

Leimin Space, “Between Worlds”, 2019
Los Angeles, CA

Nous Tous, “I'm Okay, You're Okay”, 2019
Los Angeles, CA

Dab Art, “Genesis”, 2019
Ventura, CA

Building Bridges, “Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series”, 2018
Los Angeles, CA

Healdsburg Center for the Arts, “Art of Gastronomy”, 2017
Healdsburg, CA

Gallery 66NY, “Duality of Feminine and Feminist”, 2017
Coldspring, NY

uBe Art Gallery, “Creatures Real and Imagined”, 2017
Berkeley, CA

EXHIBITIONS


Brinson Banks, “LA Woman”, 2019

Voyage LA, “Check out Jili’s Artwork”, 2018

Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, “Maria Fernanda Cardoso: Spiders of Paradise”, 2024
Photo Credit

Artsy, “10 Latin American artists at the forefront of abstraction”, September 2023
Photo Credit

Sullivan+Stumpf Magazine, “Maria Fernanda Cardoso: Fierce Maternity”, Mar/Apr 2021
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Australian Financial Review, “Gumnuts transformed into mesmerising artworks”, May 21, 2021
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Sullivan+Stumpf Magazine, “Maria Fernanda Cardoso: Three continents and 30 years of art making”, Mar/Apr 2021
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The Saturday Paper, “Artist Maria Fernanda Cardoso”, 2021
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PUBLICATIONS