What is the best thing that I love about my work? 

The best thing about my work is the power of transmutation. I love taking discarded materials ike cardboard, electronic waste, denim, and plastics and rewriting their destiny into deep visual narratives. It is the ability to bridge the tactile roughness of physical waste with the sophisticated world of technology and neuroscience.

What is my idea of happiness?

My idea of happiness is alignment and creation in a peaceful environment. It is the moments where my artistic vision, my technical structure, and my role as a mother coexist in perfect harmony. True happiness is looking at a finished piece or a solid system and knowing it will stimulate change in someone’s mind.

What is my greatest fear?

My greatest fear is leaving my grandest visions unexecuted due to external limitations. As a visionary, the thought of my projects not reaching the global scale they are meant to inhabit is what drives me to work with absolute rigor every single day.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? 

I sometimes deplore my tendency to overthink the strategic layers of a project before letting the natural flow of time take its course. My mind operates at a very high velocity, and learning to sit in patient silence while the pieces move is a continuous discipline.

Which living persons in my profession do i most admire? 

I deeply admire contemporary artists and tech entrepreneurs who refuse to be put in a single box visionaries who successfully merge industrial design, sustainability, and digital infrastructure to challenge how society perceives value and waste.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?

I dislike bureaucratic inertia and the initial resistance from traditional systems that fail to grasp the immediate speed and necessity of combining creative art with advanced technological systems.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work?

I was immensely happy in 2021 when my artwork “A Catadora de Lixo” won first place at the “Plasticamente Arte” award, and in 2022 when I was selected for the “ClimaTech Run” at COP 27 in Egypt. Those moments proved that the narratives I create from Luanda have a powerful, resonant voice on the global stage.

If I could, what would I change about myself?

I would increase my capacity for physical endurance so I could match the non-stop, creative energy that flows through my mind without draining my physical body.

What is my greatest achievement in work? 

My greatest achievement is the conceptual foundation of my two independent but deeply interconnected pillars: RE-NASCER, which is a profound environmental and neuroscience ecosystem for human reprogramming, and ArTec, my cutting-edge technology startup designed to secure, scale, and digitize creative assets.

Where would I most like to live? 

I love being based in Luanda, Angola, where the raw energy of urban transformation feeds my art. However, I highly value ecosystems like Geneva or Tallinn, which are international epicenters for diplomacy, technology, and global creative infrastructure.

What is my most treasured possession? 

My most treasured possession is my creative mind and my understanding of neural mechanisms like the Reticular Activating System (SARA). It is the internal toolkit that allows me to see gold where others see waste, and opportunity where others see chaos.

What is my most marked characteristic? My most marked characteristic is my absolute determination and strategic vision. I do not just create art; I build scalable architectural systems around my creations.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city? 

The most inspirational locations in Luanda are the bustling transit and waste zones, contrasted with cultural landmarks like the Memorial António Agostinho Neto and the coastline of the Luanda Bay. The intersection of raw, chaotic discarded materials with structured history, monumental architecture, and the open horizon of the Bay creates the perfect tension for my creative process of transmutation.

What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city?

I appreciate quiet, modern architectural spaces within the city where I can sit down for a focused business alignment or a peaceful moment of contemplation, such as the contemporary cafés and hubs within corporate districts.

What books influenced my life and how?

I am deeply influenced by literature focusing on neuroscience, neuroplasticity, and systemic thinking. These books completely reframed my artistic practice, teaching me that an artwork is not just an aesthetic object, but a powerful cognitive tool capable of literally reprogramming the viewer’s brain networks.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? 

On my last day, I would listen to the track “Water” by Tyla layered with the cinematic and orchestral compositions of Hans Zimmer (such as the Dune soundtrack). This specific blend represents the perfect transmutation I strive for: the raw, rhythmic, and organic energy of African roots fused with a technological, monumental, and futuristic sonic scale.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? 

My heroines are the modern alchemists of fiction—characters who enter chaotic, ruined landscapes and use their intellect and hidden knowledge to reorganize elements, create order, and build prosperous new ecosystems from scratch.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? 

My heroes are the everyday visionaries: my own Kumenda family, who carry a lineage of strength, resilience, and foundational support, personified in the mothers who raise the next generation while leading creative revolutions. Alongside them, the technical minds who apply their analytical genius to protect, code, and scale world-changing ideas.

Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime? I highly recommend seeing “Inception” by Christopher Nolan. It is a cinematic masterpiece that visually mirrors the concepts of mental architecture and neuroplasticity; it challenges the boundaries of perception and serves as a powerful metaphor that we are the ultimate engineers and programmers of our own reality.

What role play stories in my life and work? Stories are the core architecture of everything I build. An artwork without a story is just material; a piece of software without a story is just code. I use visual and technological narratives to activate the minds of leaders and curators worldwide.

What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ to me? T

o me, it means absolute sovereignty. It means that regardless of past challenges, technical hurdles, or geographical barriers, I hold the pen that writes the growth of my empire, the protection of my family, and the global scale of my business.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? 

Professionally, my core technical team, including my CTO Anderson Neto and my Lead Strategist Isabel, who help translate my high-level visions into rigid, functional reality. Personally, the quiet and supportive environment provided by my mother, which gives me the peace to execute my goals.

Which people or companies would I like to work with? 

I want to collaborate with international entities focused on creative tech and sustainable development, including the National Agency for Creative Industries in Angola (AnIcc), the United Nations and UNESCO agencies in Geneva, European digital art curators, and blockchain infrastructure companies that specialize in securing intellectual property for artists.

What project am I looking forward to work on? 

I am fully focused on launching the technological roadmap for ArTec alongside my CTO, ensuring our proprietary systems are perfectly coded and secured, while expanding the institutional reach of the RE-NASCER ecosystem to major diplomatic and environmental platforms in 2026.

Where can you see me or my work? 

You can track my journey through my professional portfolio platforms on LinkedIn, Behance, and Instagram under my studio name, Mariana Kumenda, where I display the timeline of my exhibitions, awards, and project developments.

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? 

It means that true purpose is permanent. Art, science, and the drive to build a legacy are not jobs you step away from; they are intrinsic parts of who I am. As long as my mind can perceive and create, the alchemy will continue.

Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story? 

Peter should definitely invite the Angolan visual artist Fisthy Teta, whose contemporary work pushes boundaries and brings a powerful perspective to the art scene. Alongside her, the bold, multidisciplinary African women who blend local sustainability, cultural knowledge, and innovation to solve structural issues across the continent.

How can you contact me? 

You can contact me directly through my professional LinkedIn profile at www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-kumenda-b76459255 or via email at marianakumenda40@gmail.com for institutional proposals and high-level partnerships.