Originally from Venezuela, Roxa Smith’s artistic journey has always found inspiration in her surroundings. While studying in California, Roxa drew on the surrounding landscapes for insiration, eventually falling in with a group of 'plein-air' painters that formally cemented her love of ducumenting her surroundings. Eventually moving to New York City and finding the natural landscapes less invigorating, Roxa inevitably sought inspiration elsewhere and turned inward, refocusing on interiors. Sharpened by the years of pandemic-related isolation, she channels her memories, observations and sensibilities related to history, access, luxury, class, safety, freedom and nature into colorful renderings of living spaces allow for a deeper understanding of those who inhabit them.
From a personal standpoint, as a Latinx gay woman, Smith embodies an existence that is lowkey, yet nevertheless outside the cultural mainstream. Her perspective comes through her renderings of the decorative patterns and furnishings, as she presents distinct views from inside spaces representative of her family and personal history, and the love she feels for home and culture. Her work explores the paradox of belonging and not belonging, the layers of identity bridging her southern and northern dual heritage, and the sense of isolation she has at times experienced, now magnified by the pandemic lockdown.
Roxa Smith
