TAKE PORTUGAL HOME
Thank you to the Exhibition Hosts:
The exhibition was held from 30 September to 15 November 2025 in the Non-Schengen Arrivals Hall at the Lisbon Airport.
CORação - Colours of the Heart
(Portuguese: cor = colour · coração = heart)
We often say the world is turning grey: films desaturate, car parks grow monochrome, and timelines feel heavy. CORação is the antidote – an invitation to slow down, leave stress behind, and see beauty in full colour.
Colours and emotions are closely linked. In this collection, the artist aligns each scene with a palette chosen to evoke a single feeling or inner experience – a gesture long familiar to painters, less common in photography.
After moving from Germany to Portugal in 2019, Nico Trinkhaus felt at home in a country where colour is woven into the very heart of life. It’s here in Portugal where he began CORação.
This Portugal Edition presents nine photographs from Lisbon and beyond – river, coast, and countryside. Limited-edition fine art prints are available; please refer to the labels beside each piece for details.
About the Artist
Nico Trinkhaus (Berlin, 1988 → Estoril) is an award-winning landscape and cityscape photographer whose work has been exhibited across Europe. Through workshops and writing, he teaches photographers to cultivate a personal visual style and a more intentional practice.
He describes himself as a “mindblind” photographer – born with aphantasia, the inability to visualise images. For him, photography is both memory and a means to share the places and emotions he encounters.
Excitement
Alfama, Lisbon · Opus 0623
Portas do Sol was my introduction into Lisbon back in 2018. It was here that I fell in love with the city that would later become my new home.
I passed this viewpoint countless times, but the photograph I had envisioned was never possible to capture – until 2023. At last, the construction sites that had long disturbed the view were gone, and I returned at sunrise, eager for the city to reveal itself.
As the first light touched the rooftops, the sky erupted in fiery tones of orange and pink, draping Alfama in a glow that felt almost electric.
Awards
2025: Gold at the London Photography Awards
2025: Silver at the MPI IIC Competition (USA)
2024: Silver at the Global Photography Awards (USA)
Anticipation
Praia do Norte, Nazaré · Opus 0419
Nazaré is world-famous for the largest surfable wave. When I moved to Portugal, I began following the forecasts closely. I wasn’t chasing only the towering waves, but I was also waiting for the moment when they would meet a sunny day – the kind of light I knew could transform the scene.
Eventually, I found myself walking down the cliffside towards the treacherous Praia do Norte to seek a new perspective. The sunset bathed everything in warm golden tones, softening the raw power of the Atlantic. In that balance between danger and serenity, I finally captured the photograph I had been looking for.
Awards
2021: Bronze at the Moscow International Foto Awards
Reverence
Fátima · Opus 0422
Fátima represents the spiritual heart of Portugal. Visiting felt essential, not only to understand Portuguese heritage but also to experience the weight of devotion that draws millions here.
As I wandered through the sanctuary, this composition stopped me: arches glowing in warm sunlight, balanced against the cool clarity of the sky. A scene that seemed to reflect faith itself – moments of clarity and moments of doubt, yet always drawn towards the light.
I set up here in silence, letting the symmetry and the light guide me, determined to honor this monumental place of worship.
Epiphany
Lisbon · Opus 0447
For months, I hadn’t touched my camera. Like everyone else, Covid turned life upside down. We had just moved to Portugal and suddenly found ourselves confined to a small one-bedroom apartment.
When the first lockdowns lifted, my friend João called: “From your balcony, we’ll have the perfect view of tonight’s Supermoon.”
So we shared dinner – my first meal with a friend in what felt like forever. And then fate staged a spectacle: the moon rose and came to rest exactly on the pillar of Lisbon’s iconic bridge.
That light in the darkness – both literal and symbolic – was the moment that pulled me back onto my path after a long pause.
Desire
Mealhada, Bairrada · Opus 0605
Portugal is celebrated for its wines, and in Bairrada I discovered a region devoted to sparkling wine, crafted with devotion and patience.
Caves Messias opened their century-old cellars for me – a labyrinth where thousands of bottles rest in the cool darkness. Here, the wine is still made by hand, each bottle carefully turned day after day in quiet ritual.
Among the whites and reds, it was the rosé that drew me in. Its tones shimmered in the dim cellar light, almost like liquid sunset waiting to be uncorked.
Awards
2023: Honorable Mention at the IPA (USA)
Serenity
Mourão, Alentejo · Opus 0674
The Alentejo soon became my favorite refuge during the dry, hot summer months. Time slows here, life retreating into the comfort of shadows.
One morning I rose early to catch the sunrise. Guided by sound, I followed the bleating of sheep across the fields until a sudden whoosh made me look up – a balloon floated quietly overhead.
I sat still and let the scene unfold: the soft light, the animals, the sky alive with movement. And when the heat began to press down, a shepherd’s dog trotted over and gently herded me back toward the nearby hotel.
Awards
2025: Gold at the European Photography Awards
Grace
MAAT, Lisbon · Opus 0358
For four years I lived in the Ajuda district of Lisbon, and walks along the river became an almost daily ritual. I would often pass through MAAT, a building whose elegance never failed to catch my eye.
Its architecture has a quiet perfection — soft curves that seem to flow with Lisbon’s rhythm of life, while its surface reflects and multiplies whatever colours the day offers.
To honour that beauty, I chose to capture it at sunrise, when the first light set its curves aglow against the rigid silhouette of the bridge beyond.
Harmony
Foz d’Égua, Serra da Estrela · Opus 0615
Portugal hides many treasures in its interior, far from the paths most visitors travel. Foz d’Égua, tucked into the Serra da Estrela mountains, is one of them.
Life feels in balance. Time lingers as it always has, undisturbed by the noise and distractions of the city. Stone bridges, houses, and footpaths seem to rise naturally from the landscape, as if built with nature rather than against it.
I was drawn to capture this place not only for its beauty but also as a reminder that another rhythm of life still exists – one that honours simplicity and connection with the earth.
Determination
Belém, Lisbon · Opus 0289
When I moved to Portugal, I immersed myself in the history of the Discoverers – men who set sail into the unknown, guided only by willpower and the stars above, many never to return.
The monument in Belém rises proudly in their honor, yet I wanted to show it differently: small beneath the immensity of the night sky, the same sky that once steered them across uncharted oceans.
In that contrast, I found a sense of what it must have felt like to stand on the edge of the world, ready to risk everything in pursuit of discovery.
Purchase your
Favourite Print.
Explore the CORação collection — limited edition fine art prints from the Lisbon Airport Exhibition, signed and numbered by the artist.
Voices from Our Collectors
One of the most magic moments my husband and I had when visiting Portugal last year – first time we left our three little kids home with the grandparents -, doing a hike along the coast and sitting more or less where the picture was taken. Looking so much forward to remembering this moment also back home!
Christina Felfe
Germany
I received my picture. It’s absolutely incredible. I’m so excited just so you have a little backstory. My husband and I who have been married 30 years got married at the old City Hall so this picture is going to be hung in our home to remind us of our special day.
Kimberly Goldstein
USA
My wife and I stayed in Budapest for 4 days and enjoyed our visit. We transversed this bridge on scooter multiple times and have our own photos but they don’t compare to your dreamy and colorful artwork. We’ve been to multiple places you have captured in photos and we really enjoy your talent.
Frank L.
USA
“Your Home Should Tell The Story Of Who You Are And Be A Collection Of What You Love”
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