Every person moves through their own personal landscape shaped by place and experience. For Maria Paula Suárez, coloured pencils and embroidery are the constants she returns to for their accuracy, softness, and the way they echo her world view.

Born in Bogota, Colombia and based in Manhattan, NYC, Suárez spoke to us about her rigorous foundations, delicate artwork and the stories in between.

I began taking my art seriously very early on. At first, I thought I’d go to business school, since entrepreneurship had always been one of my interests. However, during the last two years of high school, my International Baccalaureate program required me to choose a focus. Ultimately, I chose art. From that point, there was no turning back. Over time, I started researching themes that were quite different from what I explore now, yet each one gradually led me to where I am today.

I work primarily with coloured pencils and embroidery on paper. There’s a delicacy in these materials that is deeply important to me. It reflects the way I connect the medium with the subjects of my research. Over the past 3-4 years I’ve been studying the composition of paper, its acidity, thickness, and make-up, to make sure it can last well over time. This research has meant I can work in larger formats without compromising the materiality and integrity of my medium.

I wouldn’t categorize my work within a single style – that would be limiting. Instead I like to think of my work as creating a space for balance and awareness, offering images that give both the viewer – and me – a moment of visual breath amid the constant stimulus of the contemporary world. In this way, I approach art as a search for beauty, and ultimately, as a path to healing, which is why my practice remains so closely connected to nature.

I believe my works need to be on paper to fully convey the message they carry. My practice reflects on love and language as tools to understand it. I’ve found a glimpse of that in the methodical, quite ethereal process of working the needle through the paper. The fragility of the material mirrors the fragility of life. To me this process represents how, with our actions, we should try hard to preserve life with care and attention.

Big names… Ed Ruscha and Barbara Kruger are top of mind. Their work can be quite rough and literal, and I believe words have the power to stimulate the subconscious, which fascinates me. I often use the example of a flower: you don’t need to see it to know it’s beautiful, the word itself can produce an internal response, a feeling, a sense of transcendental beauty… I like words.

Agnes Martin’s paintings are also a major influence. Although her works are very different from the imagery I create, I’m captivated by the way she conveys breath, patience, and peace through her canvases. Interestingly, her mind reportedly worked quite differently from the calm her art expresses (I read her biography), and yet work still continues to inspire my motivations and approach.

Growing up, I watched my mom create beautiful pieces, and I vividly remember her painting in our living room as one of the most peaceful moments of her day. I would come home from school and find her working on oil still lifes with such accuracy, patience, and warmth. That memory has stayed with me and deeply influenced my own connection to making art.

I tend to process everything that happens in my life through my work, transforming experiences into a more abstract visual language. I believe that learning to translate and deliver a message through art is, in itself, an act of self-care, an intentional way to reflect, understand, and nurture oneself.

I’ve built a career in the art industry. I’m fascinated by understanding the systems behind this world, who supports it and how it all comes together. In holding roles across various professional levels, I’ve been given a greater appreciation for the industry and its impact, both on society and on individuals.

Education:

2021- 2023 MA in Art Business. Sotheby’s Institute of Art – New York, USA
2018 Bachelor in Visual Arts. Universidad Javeriana – Bogotá, Colombia
2018 Illustration Certification. School of Visual Arts – Nueva York, USA
2017 Fine Arts. Universidad Francisco de Vitoria – Madrid, Spain

Solo Exhibitions:

2025 LA VIDA ES ALQUIMIA. Otros 360 Grados. Bogota, Colombia
2025 LIFE IS ALCHEMY. Big Arts Sanibel Museum, Florida. USA
2023 EMOTIONAL VOCABULARY. Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery, New York. USA
2023 COLECCIONANDO PALABRAS. Consulate General of Colombia, New York. USA.
2022 HABITAT. See Me Gallery. New York, USA.
2022 PAISAJE CONTINUO. La Mercantil Gallery. Mexico City, MX.
2021 MONTE ABIERTO. Galería Otros 360. Bogotá, Colombia.
2019 ESTAS AQUÍ. Marte Incubadora. Bogotá, Colombia.