ON VIEW BY APPOINTMENT
In the Presence of Animals
Encounters with animals as mirrors, symbols, and portals
Private viewings available through November 22, 2026
Casa da Lua · Ericeira
The exhibition remains on view at Casa da Lua and is available to visit privately by appointment.
If you’d like to experience the works in person, please get in touch to arrange a viewing.
About the Exhibition
In the Presence of Animals explores the animal as presence, mirror, symbol, and portal.
Through intricate linework, color, and symbolism, the works invite us to slow down and encounter the animal differently — to notice its beauty, its particular way of being in the world, and what that encounter might awaken within us.
Animals as Presence, Mirror, Symbol, and Portals
The works in In the Presence of Animals are rooted in my ongoing exploration of Power Animals — animals encountered not only as subjects, but as beings that can carry meaning, reflect qualities within us, and open new ways of seeing.
At the same time, the work begins with the animal itself: its presence, instinct, beauty, and particular way of inhabiting the world. I’m interested in what can happen when we look closely enough to move beyond observation and into relationship.
Part of this inquiry is informed by the Mesoamerican concept of the nahual, which understands the boundary between human and animal as more fluid than fixed. Rather than reducing the animal to a metaphor for human experience, the work holds both possibilities at once: the animal as a being in its own right, and the animal as a mirror, symbol, or portal through which something within us may become more visible.
At the heart of the exhibition is a simple question:
What can an animal awaken in us?
Deer — Gentle Witness
2026 · Black ink with watercolor pens on paper
Lioness — Empress of Strength
2026 · Black ink with watercolor pens on paper
Owl — Inner Sight
2026 · Black ink with watercolor pens on paper
Wolf — Keeper of Instinct
2026 · Black ink with watercolor pens on paper
Wolves — Celestial Union
2026 · Black ink with watercolor pens on paper
Hedgehogs — A Mother's Embrace
2026 · Black ink with watercolor pens on paper
About Nayeli
Nayeli Lavanderos is a Mexican artist based in Portugal whose work explores animals as sources of presence, symbolism, and inner reflection.
Through intricate ink drawing and layered color, she creates large-scale Power Animal works informed by her relationship with animals, Mexican heritage, and the Mesoamerican concept of the nahual.
Her practice moves between observation, symbolism, and intuitive inquiry, asking what can emerge when we encounter animals not only as subjects, but as beings capable of shifting how we see ourselves and the world around us.
Available Works
Selected original works from In the Presence of Animals will be available for acquisition, alongside open-edition and limited-edition fine art prints.
Explore the works to view availability, details, and print options.
