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Add Fuel, real name Diogo Machado (born May 1980), is Portuguese visual artist and illustrator. With a degree in Graphic Design from Lisbon's IADE – Institute of Visual Arts, Design and Marketing, he spent a few years working in design studios in Portugal, followed by an eight-month stint in Munich, Germany. Since 2007, he has been focusing exclusively on his artistic work. Starting out under the full name Add Fuel to the Fire, he first created a dark yet exuberant visual universe populated by a cast of slimy, eccentric and joyful creatures, influenced by a variety of interests ranging from video games to comics, animation, sci-fi, low-budget B films, designer toys, and urban visual culture. In 2008, fascinated with the aesthetic possibilities of symmetrical patterning and tessellations, he shortened his moniker and began redirecting his focus towards working with and reinterpreting the language of traditional tile design, and that of the Portuguese tin-glazed ceramic ''azulejo'' in particular. Effortlessly blending these two seemingly-irreconcilable visual idioms, his current practice seeks to combine traditional decorative elements with contemporary visual referents into new forms that reveal an impressive complexity and a masterful attention to detail. If, on the face of it, his work in small- and medium-sized tile panels, large-scale stencil-painted murals, and print editions might seem simply a pastiche of classic formalism, a closer inspection rewards the viewer with a chaotic world of unequivocally original motifs and characters brimming with irony and humour. Creating balance and harmony from symmetrical repetitions, a build-up of layers and techniques of visual illusion such as ''
trompe-l'œil ; ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional surface. , which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into perceiving p ...
'', his multi-layered patterned compositions produce a poetic rhythm that plays with the viewer's perception and the (multiple) possibilities of interpretation. Exploring a wide range of both manual and digital techniques in the fields of drawing, painting, ceramics, and printing, his practice expresses a sophisticated dialogue between the old and the new, between heritage and modernity. Besides the numerous public art interventions he has been creating in various countries, he has also been showcasing his work in solo and group exhibitions in reputed galleries, including Underdogs Gallery (Lisbon, 2017 and 2014), Saatchi Gallery (London, 2017), Nuart Gallery (Stavanger, 2017), ABV Gallery (Atlanta, 2017), Colab Gallery (Weil am Rhein, 2015), Galerie SOON (Zurich, 2013), and Pure Evil Gallery (London, 2012), and leading urban art events such as Nuart Festival (Aberdeen, 2017; Stavanger, 2016), PUBLIC'16 (Perth and Albany, 2016), Sacramento Mural Fest (Sacramento, 2016), Forgotten Project (Rome, 2015), Djerbahood (Djerba, 2014), and Tour Paris 13 (Paris, 2013), among many others. Diogo Machado lives and works in
Cascais Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera, Estoril Coast. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Port ...
, Portugal.


Artistic style

Diogo Machado's artwork combines fictional characters, decorative elements, and humor. His mural work using tiles and stencils is inspired by ''
trompe-l'œil ; ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional surface. , which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into perceiving p ...
'', and often emphasizes symmetry.


Career


Illustration

Add Fuel has cited an older cousin who introduced him to a wide range of popular and classical artforms as a childhood influence.


Street art, ceramic panels and murals

Add Fuel has used
azulejo (, ; from the Arabic ) is a form of Portuguese and Spanish painted Tin-glazing, tin-glazed ceramic tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of church (building), churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, r ...
mosaic tiles as a medium for graffiti and other works, and has also described is as a cultural influence. Machado traces his initial interest in reviving azulejo to the Cascais ArtSpace festival in
Cascais Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera, Estoril Coast. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Port ...
in 2008. "At the time, I received the invitation to cover an entire building with a giant printed
canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...
and my idea was to develop an illustration piece that would represent me as an inhabitant of my city, being the festival in Cascais." he says. "I investigated several portuguese traditional techniques and elements, such as the Galo de Barcelos and the
Arraiolos Arraiolos (), officially the Town of Arraiolos (), is a town and municipality in the Évora District of Portugal. As of 2021, the municipality had a population of 6,606 people and covered an area of . The town itself was home to 3,133 residents in ...
tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art which was traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical pieces are intended to han ...
, but it was a building, so the
azulejo (, ; from the Arabic ) is a form of Portuguese and Spanish painted Tin-glazing, tin-glazed ceramic tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of church (building), churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, r ...
aesthetic was the one it felt right to work on" After this first experience, Machado studied azulejo and ceramics and began applying it to other urban art settings, often in incongruous and non-traditional contexts. Noteworthy pieces include a 30 meters long ceramic
mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...
, made for the Walk & Talk Public Art Festival on Ponta Delgada in the Azores islands. Explaining why he chose the name Add Fuel, Machado has said "it's an abbreviation of the expression 'add fuel to the fire' which I like and used as my name for some time. The fact that it's in English is just because it's easier to work in an international market. Diogo Machado is hard to pronounce and to work just in the Portuguese market, unfortunately is not possible."


Exhibitions

*2014. Concentricum (Mercearia de Arte Alves & Silvestre,
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...
, Portugal) *2013. International Colors (SOON Gallery,
Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
, Switzerland) *2013. Tour Paris 13 (
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France) *2012. Urb4n Art LX (Influx Contemporary Art Gallery,
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, Portugal) *2012. Cascais ArtSpace (
Cascais Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera, Estoril Coast. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Port ...
, Portugal) *2012. Spaces Within (Pure Evil Gallery,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, United Kingdom) *2011. 'Planet Fire' app release (Montana Shop & Gallery,
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, Portugal) *2009. 'Le Coq Tuguese (Experimenta Design,
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
, Portugal) *2008. Cascais ArtSpace (Cascais, Portugal) *2007.
Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...
Street Gallery (Lisbon, Portugal)


Others

*2014. Djerbahood, Tunisia *2014. Fenêtre Sur le Portugal (
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France) *2013. Le M.U.R. (
Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...
, France) *2013. ArturB Residency (
Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
, Portugal) *2013. Fusing Cultural Experience (
Figueira da Foz Figueira da Foz (), officially Figueira da Foz City (), often called simply Figueira for short, is a city and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. Practically at the midpoint of the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coa ...
, Portugal) *2013. WOOL on Tour - Tem Sempre Encanto (
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...
, Portugal) *2013. Muro Azul - CHPL (
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
) *2012. WOOL on Tour - Lx Factory (Lisbon, Portugal) *2012. Walk & Talk Public Art Festival (
Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality (''concelho'') and executive capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67,2 ...
, Portugal) *2012. GAU - Lowbrow (Lisbon, Portugal) *2010. Secret Wars - Lisbon Team (Lisbon &
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
) *2009. MTV From Grey to Rainbow ( Barreiro, Portugal) *2008. Fuel TV - Portugal Launch - Lx Factory (Lisbon, Portugal)


Commissioned projects

A Better Tomorrow,
Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...
, Avalon7, Beatbombers,
Burton Snowboards Burton Snowboards is a privately-owned snowboard manufacturing company that was founded by Jake Burton Carpenter in 1977. The company specializes in products aimed at snowboarders, such as snowboards, bindings, boots, outerwear, and accessor ...
, Cropp, Colourlovers, Computer Arts, Dj Ride, Don't Panic, Digit,
Europa Magazine Europa Magazine is the only monthly magazine in the Bosnian language in the United States. Overview The first edition of the ''Europa Magazine'' was published in Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capita ...
, Feed The Beast
FUEL TV Fox Sports 2 (branded on-air as FS2) is an American sports-oriented pay television channel owned by the Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. The channel is based at the Fox Sports division's headquarters on the Fox Studio Lot in ...
, GAU Lisbon,
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
,
MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
,
Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. (stylized as ''NIKE'') is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, ...
,
Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (often abbreviated as ''PM'' or ''PopMech'') is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do it yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation an ...
, Pyknic Clothing, Pocket Frenz,
Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...
,
Toy2R Toy2R (abbreviation of Toy to Raymond) is a designer toy company based in Hong Kong that was founded by Prof. Raymond Choy M.H. in 1995. History Raymond Choy spent 10 years as an employee of an American footwear company, developing many useful s ...
, TMN (
Meo (mobile phone company) MEO (formerly TMN and PTC) is a mobile and fixed telecommunications service and brand from Altice Portugal (formerly Portugal Telecom), managed by MEO - Serviços de Comunicações e Multimédia. The service was piloted in Lisbon in 2007 and was ...
),
Wired (magazine) ''Wired'' is a bi-monthly American magazine that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. It is published in both print and Online magazine, online editions by Condé Nast. The magazine has been in public ...
, X-Funs, Yes No Maybe.


Media

File:Add Fuel - Coimbra 2013.webm, Coimbra 2013 File:Add Fuel - Walk&Talk Azores 2012.webm, Walk&Talk Azores 2012


References


External links

*


Press


Jornal O Público (2014): "Azulejo tradicional de Add Fuel em Coimbra"Jornal i Online (2014): "Devolver os azulejos ás paredes"Neo Pop Tv (2013): "NEW POP CULTURE: Diogo Machado Ep.2"Neo Pop Tv (2013): "NEW POP CULTURE: Diogo Machado Ep.1"IdN (International designers' Network) (2013): "Creative Country: Portugal"
* ttp://www.luxwoman.pt/portfolio/mental-idade-de-diogo-e-eime/ Lux WOMAN (2013): "Mental Idade de Diogo Machado e Eime"br>Choco la Design (2013): "Os azulejos de Add Fuel"Jornal O Público (2013): "Artistas portugueses “ocupam” prédio abandonado em Paris"Jornal O Público (2012): "Walk&Talk, um abecedário de arte pública"Le blog de la galerie d'art Limitedartgallery.com (2012): "Arty Friday #4 – Diogo Machado aka ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE"Jornal O Público (2012): "O azulejo tradicional reinventado por artistas contemporâneos"Science of the Time (2011): "Portuguese Mosaic Tiles Meet Urban Graffiti"Arize Magazine (2008): "Diogo Machado–Well known illustrator Diogo…Adds Fuel to the Fire"Falar Criativo podcast (2015) :Interview of Add Fuel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Add Fuel Living people 1980 births Portuguese artists Portuguese graffiti artists People from Cascais Date of birth missing (living people) Articles containing video clips