August 2022 - Ongoing

Project Type: Editorial & Cultural Project , Comics Publication
Client: Ronha - Cultural Association
Role: Concept Creation, Creative Direction, Editorial Curation
Agency / Production Company: Ronha-Cultural Association

Inspired by a Portuguese saying “Those who care about their grandchildren plant a cork oak” , Stories Beneath The Cork Oaks is a comic project I created and conceptually developed in 2022, bringing together territory, culture, and sequential art as tools for reflection and preservation.

Conceived as a collaborative editorial project, it brings together writers and visual artists to create original comic stories that celebrate and question the role of the cork oak forest (Montado) in the Alentejo, not only as an ecosystem, but as a living structure shaping identity, economy, memory, and life cycles.

The Montado occupies nearly a quarter of Portugal’s forest area and is one of the country’s most important ecosystems. Despite its cultural and environmental relevance, it is currently in decline.

This project positions the Montado as the central “protagonist” of every story, using comics as a contemporary language to foster awareness, belonging, and intergenerational responsibility.

Across its three editions, the project has involved multiple writers and visual artists, whose narratives explore different perspectives on the landscape, from intimate and poetic to social and environmental.

Awards / Recognition
Nominated for Best Independent Comic — Amadora BD Festival (International Comics Festival)

More about the project:
www.historiasasombradomontado.pt