Interview with the artist:
MELISSA RÍOS
Melissa Ríos at her studio in Mexico City. Photo by Fernanda Velázquez
How would you describe your creative process?
M: In my process, I try not to rationalize anything. I seek out unusual moments, almost as if I'm pulling myself out of my own logic. I try to make the sketch, the image selection, or the collage as quick, impulsive, and honest as possible. By working this way, I'm not entirely sure of the result, but I have what I need to start painting. This is where I take the most time and begin to understand the more spontaneous relationships that emerged in the sketch.
How does your art reflect your personal identity or life experiences?
M: I believe my paintings are completely connected to my reality, my thoughts, and the way I navigate conflicts, questions, or fears that haunt me. They are a kind of life log, transformed into scenes, with characters, locations, and I would even say dialogue.
What is a recurring theme or idea in your work?
M: Among my recurring ideas, I always find her in the scene. She is sometimes me, another woman, and many times, I don’t know who she is. And in that idea, she is an anachronistic, omnipresent, and fully leading character.
How do you know when a painting is finished?
I sense a painting is finished when it surpasses my expectations or when I feel that if I add anything else, I’ll ruin it.
How has your work evolved over time?
My work has evolved technically, which has been very interesting for me, but also conceptually. Today there is greater clarity in my thinking, and that, in some way, is reflected in what I paint.
What techniques are you currently exploring?
Currently, I move between expression and the idea of realism-surrealism, and an attempt to approach abstraction—not through marks or spontaneous gestures, but through sensation and experience. It's a path that isn't linear, but a constant back and forth, and I believe it's precisely there, in that oscillation, where the true evolution of my painting happens.
How do you find balance between your art and external expectations?
I find it very interesting to hear opinions and different perspectives about my work, to listen to what it evokes and the places it transports people to. But afterward, I need to return to the why and the place I paint from—to that introspection and solitude from which it emerges.
M: In my process, I try not to rationalize anything. I seek out unusual moments, almost as if I'm pulling myself out of my own logic. I try to make the sketch, the image selection, or the collage as quick, impulsive, and honest as possible. By working this way, I'm not entirely sure of the result, but I have what I need to start painting. This is where I take the most time and begin to understand the more spontaneous relationships that emerged in the sketch.
How does your art reflect your personal identity or life experiences?
M: I believe my paintings are completely connected to my reality, my thoughts, and the way I navigate conflicts, questions, or fears that haunt me. They are a kind of life log, transformed into scenes, with characters, locations, and I would even say dialogue.
What is a recurring theme or idea in your work?
M: Among my recurring ideas, I always find her in the scene. She is sometimes me, another woman, and many times, I don’t know who she is. And in that idea, she is an anachronistic, omnipresent, and fully leading character.
How do you know when a painting is finished?
I sense a painting is finished when it surpasses my expectations or when I feel that if I add anything else, I’ll ruin it.
How has your work evolved over time?
My work has evolved technically, which has been very interesting for me, but also conceptually. Today there is greater clarity in my thinking, and that, in some way, is reflected in what I paint.
What techniques are you currently exploring?
Currently, I move between expression and the idea of realism-surrealism, and an attempt to approach abstraction—not through marks or spontaneous gestures, but through sensation and experience. It's a path that isn't linear, but a constant back and forth, and I believe it's precisely there, in that oscillation, where the true evolution of my painting happens.
How do you find balance between your art and external expectations?
I find it very interesting to hear opinions and different perspectives about my work, to listen to what it evokes and the places it transports people to. But afterward, I need to return to the why and the place I paint from—to that introspection and solitude from which it emerges.
