Clarissa Mattos is a Brazilian-born artist and photographer based in Aotearoa New Zealand whose practice focuses on relational portraiture and participatory encounters. Her work explores how photography can function as a space for reflection, emotional processing, and connection, both for the artist and for participants.

Rooted in her early self-portrait work, Clarissa’s practice understands images as vessels of lived experience. She is interested in how moments of vulnerability, transition, and imperfection can be held visually without simplification, allowing complexity and contradiction to remain present. Her current projects prioritise process as much as outcome, creating conditions where participants can slow down, reflect, and engage with their own emotional landscape.

Clarissa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication and has over fifteen years of experience in visual communication, digital design, and storytelling across Brazil, the United States, and New Zealand. Her professional background includes work at the New Zealand Parliament (Office of the Clerk), where she supported public engagement and accessible communication.

Her work has been exhibited in Wellington and internationally, and she has contributed photographic documentation to major cultural events. Alongside her artistic practice, she volunteers with Kaicycle, supporting community-led sustainability initiatives through photography and editorial work. She is also a member of Wellington Timebank since 2015.

Clarissa’s projects are grounded in ethical engagement, care, and relational presence, seeking to create meaningful artistic experiences that resonate beyond the image itself.