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ABOUT
Ophelia Dos Santos is a Welsh textile artist and researcher based in Cardiff, South Wales. Viewing the world through textiles, her work explores the relationships between fabric, culture, and communities. Working in Wales is deeply significant to her practice, as the country has a rich textile history, from wool production to quilting traditions. She is drawn to how textiles are embedded in both personal and national heritage.
Stitching from her workshop in Cardiff Bay, Ophelia often reflects on her grandfather, who worked in the same space before her as a carpenter specializing in restoration. Surrounded by his unfinished pieces, she considers themes of legacy, the passing on of skills, and the influence of her West African and Portuguese heritage on her creations — a dialogue between past and present.
By piecing together discarded fabrics, she aims to communicate stories through patchwork and hand embroidery, creating visually compelling works that inform and encourage curiosity.
Ophelia is drawn to textiles for their tactile and intimate nature, as well as their deep connection to memory, heritage, and storytelling. Fabric carries history — it is worn, passed down, repurposed and working with it allows for layered narratives. She views stitching as a meditative and intentional act, reinforcing themes of care, repair, and resilience.
Her portraits are loosely based on references but are intentionally abstracted to represent collective memory rather than specific individuals. She chooses to illustrate Black and ethnic minority features as a reflection of her environment and heritage.
In 2023–24, Ophelia coordinated the production of the Research Guide for the Study of Minority Ethnic History. As Project Officer at the Glamorgan Archives, she not only gained a deeper understanding of ethnic minority history in Wales but also developed research skills to enhance her creative approach to history, culture, and identity. This work has informed her understanding of the importance of preserving and reinterpreting stories to ensure their relevance for future generations.
Since this role, she has continued with heritage research projects and is currently working on Stories on the Edge of Memory as a Research Associate. This project utilizes technology to explore and preserve the stories of Tiger Bay—Wales’ oldest multi-ethnic community.
FILM
Producer and narrator of the short documentary film 'Moving to Make It'. This follows Ophelia’s dilemmas as a Welsh creative. BBC TWO Wales, It's My Shout Productions, 2021.
→ CV
‘Saudade’ patchwork, 150cm x 150cm, 2025.
The Portuguese word ‘saudade’ reflects a profound longing for a beloved person or thing no longer present, a deep sense of nostalgia. It is a bittersweet emotion, balancing sadness and acceptance.
In the context of Cardiff Bay (including Butetown), saudade resonates with those who have witnessed the area’s physical and cultural transformations. For generations, diverse communities have coexisted here - Somali seafarers, West African traders, Maltese dockworkers, and Caribbean immigrants built homes, businesses, and families. However, since the 1960s, waves of redevelopment and displacement have reshaped the landscape, leaving many with a deep yearning for the community as it once was — the sights, sounds, and relationships that made it feel like home.
For Ophelia, hands and faces serve as direct representations of identity, heritage, and community. Through her work, she seeks to highlight the interconnectedness of personal and collective histories. The repeated motif of hands symbolises touch, care, and the passing down of knowledge, reflecting how skills, traditions, and cultural memory are preserved across generations.
This piece also challenges the traditional notions of Welsh identity. While the patchwork itself carries layered stories and histories, its pairing with the traditional Welsh hat — one of the most distinctive symbols of Welsh heritage, creates a striking visual contrast. The styling of the work and the photographic presentation function as two interwoven yet distinct narratives, challenging conventional perceptions of belonging and cultural representation in Wales.
Photography by Yusuf Ismail
‘Wasted on Us’ 93cm x 110cm, 2023.
Wasted on Us is a reflection on the social and environmental impacts of textile waste. This work explores the growing disconnect between land and people, questioning the consequences of mass consumption and disposal.
As Ophelia pieced together discarded fabrics, she considered their journeys — diverted from landfill, or perhaps destined for second-hand markets in Africa, where the West’s overconsumption fuels an overwhelming influx of textile waste. She reflected on the unknown makers, the forgotten hands that once stitched, wore, and cared for these fabrics before they arrived in her workshop. Repurposing these textiles became Ophelia reflected on labour, material value, and the hidden narratives embedded within cloth.
Wasted on Us highlights global majority perspectives by confronting the realities of fabric supply chains and waste processing. More than 150,000 tonnes of used clothing are imported to Ghana each year, much of it unsellable and left to pollute local environments. Through this work, Ophelia challenges the systems that enable this cycle of excess, displacement, and disregard.
Wasted on Us symbolizes resilience and interconnectedness. It asks the viewer to reconsider their relationship with fabric - not just as a material, but as a record of human history, labour, and environmental consequence. The patchwork stands as both a critique of modern consumption habits and a testament to the potential for transformation, repair, and renewed purpose in what has been cast aside.
Photography by Yusuf Ismail
‘We Touch Fabric Everyday' 29cm x 33cm, 2024.
‘Forgotten Hands’ 100cm x 105cm, 2024.
'Meaningful Change' 2024.
'A Warm Embrace' 2022.