kriaoxy

I'm Frederico Leal, an artist from Cape Verde — the archipelago on the west coast of Africa — working at the crossroads of photography, digital illustration, and the culture I grew up in. My art began through therapy, as a way to navigate mental illness and transform it into something meaningful. Over time, it became a language of its own: nature captured through a lens, abstract worlds built pixel by pixel, and the colors, textures, and stories of Cape Verdean life woven into every piece. Kriaoxy is a word I built from Cape Verdean Creole. Kria means both "create" and "grow." Oxy means "today." So every design here is an act of creating — and growing — something today. You'll find photography of raw coastlines and quiet nature, digital illustrations rooted in emotion and abstraction, and a celebration of Cape Verdean identity rarely seen in the art world. Each piece carries a piece of this island, and a piece of me.