Peter & Ricardo(41)

Ricardo and I met at an art fair in Sao Paulo. He is a sculptor, I am a painter. After three years in Amsterdam — where Ricardo struggled with the weather, the bureaucracy and the lack of affordable studio space — we decided to find a compromise.

Porto was the perfect middle ground. Portuguese-speaking for Ricardo, European for me, and a vibrant art scene for both of us. The Bonfim neighborhood, where many artists settle, offered us a studio-apartment of 120 square meters for €900 per month.

As a Brazilian, Ricardo was entitled to a residence permit through the CPLP treaty. The procedure was faster than expected — three months in total. If we had been married, it could have been even faster. We have since taken that step too, at the beautiful Camara Municipal of Porto.

The art scene in Porto is raw and real. Galleries in abandoned factories, street art on every corner, and an audience hungry for new art. We exhibit regularly at Galeria Municipal do Porto and have built a network that we never managed in Amsterdam.

Financially it is feasible. I sell through online platforms and local galleries, Ricardo gets commissions for public art works. Our combined revenue is modest — €30,000 per year — but in Porto we live comfortably on that. The IRS for artists has special deductions for material costs.

What makes Porto unique for artists: the city subsidizes cultural projects through the Porto Cultural program. We received a €5,000 grant for a joint project about the Douro. Try that in Amsterdam.