Leal is a visual artist with a Ph.D. in Drawing from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon. He is an art instructer at Nextart – Centro de Formação in Lisbon since 2019 and has been lecturing at School of Arts and Design of Caldas da Rainha (ESAD.CR) since 2021. His practical and theoretical drawing research focuses on the morphology of its constituent elements, the history of tools and materials, the sketchbook as a mobile laboratory and artistist-in-residence programs.

At LIDA Leal is developing the project THE SCULPTURAL POSSIBILITY OF 3D PRINTING IN CONNECTION WITH NATURAL THEMES which aims to explore the possibilities of 3D printing as a viable form of contemporary sculpture in conjunction with fieldwork around natural themes (bones, exuvia, insect exoskeletons) collected during fieldwork.

As a visual artist Leal has been exhibiting regularly since 2005 in institutions and private spaces, with more than 30 solo exhibitions in Portugal and Spain.

He regularly participates in artistist-in-residence projects such as “O Estado da Água”, Sabugueiro, a project funded by DGArtes – Direção Geral das Artes (2023-25); Ateneu do Catorze, São Luís (2020); Cultivamos Cultura, São Luís (2019-20); Centro de Artes, Caldas da Rainha (2019); LAC – Laboratório de Atividades Criativas, Lagos (2017); CAC – Centro de Artes e Cultura, Ponte de Sor (2015).

Leal’s work is represented in the EDP Foundation collection, Figueiredo Ribeiro collection, Joaquim Ferro collection, portuguese municipal collections and private collections (Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, England and Germany).