António Maria de Sousa Mendanha Arriscado was born in 1948 in Forjães (Esposende). He did his PhD in Fine Arts in 2007 at the University of Vigo, at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Pontevedra, presenting the thesis O Desenho Como Errância Fronteiriça (Drawing as Border Errancy) from the perspective of the philosophy of the limit in Eugenio Trías. He graduated in Fine Arts/Painting in 1986 from the Porto School of Fine Arts. He joined ESAD in 1991.
He is a member of the Technical Scientific Council and has also been a member of the Pedagogical Council. He coordinated the Drawing department at ESAD for around 30 years. He taught at ESAP for three years and also at the secondary school Escola C+S de Barroselas, from 1985 to 2009. He is involved in painting and sculpture, with works, together with his children, in France, Brazil, Spain, Madeira and mainland Portugal, and has received a number of prizes and awards. His book O Desenho como Errância Fronteiriça, is due to be published in 2024 by ESAD.