Albuquerque Mendes was born in Trancoso in 1953. He lives and works in Leça da Palmeira. He attended the Círculo de Artes Plásticas de Coimbra (CAPC) between 1970 and 1975 and held his first solo exhibition there, in 1971. He was part of Puzzle Group from its creation in 1976, until its last exhibition, in 1980. In 1974, he made his first performance/ritual.
He has gained international visibility through his performances, having taken part in some of the most important festivals of the genre. In November 2001, Fundação de Serralves held the artist’s first anthological exhibition and he is currently one of the most active and intense figures on the Portuguese art scene. He was invited to create the official pieces for the reception of Pope Benedict XVI – Estandarte da Paz, Lenço Peregrino and Medalha Amanhecer – during his visit to the city of Porto on May 14th, 2010. In 2017, he was awarded Medalha Municipal de Mérito – Grau Ouro by Câmara Municipal do Porto.
