Hombre Gallo

Curiosity, mischievousness and raw talent shaped Porfírio Mendes into the folk cork sculptor he is today, without ever stepping foot in a formal art school. Born in 1967 in Barcelos, Porfírio began working in construction at 14 and ended up building the house where he currently lives.

From construction, he began sculpting miniature stone buildings with intricate mechanics that gave a whimsical touch to his neighbourhood, but it was only in 2013 that he stumbled upon cork as a raw material for the creations that would make him one of a kind.

He began collecting bottle corks from restaurants and built roosters, devils, saints, witches, you name it, using nothing but a knife, sandpaper and glue. Well, and paint of course — have you looked at the extravagant colours? It’s a naive and humorous work of amusement and nostalgia, an homage to the region’s folk imagery.

Family is always by his side: his daughter Adriana curates his online presence and his wife is a lifelong partner. Porfírio’s first solo exhibition, held at Barcelos’s Tourist Office in 2024, named him “a craftsman of soul and heart”. He still works in construction.