Born in Gavião in 1963, Canau Espadinha completed a degree in Sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Lisbon where, for that purpose, he received a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

His work has focused on medals and ceramics and, in London, he concluded the Master of Arts in Fine Art, also with a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. In 2006, he saw his project approved for a PhD in Architecture, in the field of Visual Communication.

He has held several individual and group exhibitions as well as participated in several foreign biennials, of which the following stand out: 2008, ROMENIA, “3rd International Experimental Engraving Biennial”, “Brancovan Palaces” Cultural Center, Mogosoaia; 2007, USA, XXX FIDEM, Colorado Springs – USA, 2007.

He is represented in several public and private collections in Portugal and abroad.