[Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.] Rom Levy (Street Art News) interviews Swedish-Dominican artist Tania Marmolejo.

Tania Marmolejo Andersson is a Swedish-Dominican American artist born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Her work juxtaposes the intimate and personal with the monumental, creating large-scale paintings of ambiguous female facial expressions. She also explores issues of gender and identity as a Scandinavian-Caribbean female artist, using portraiture and physical expression as a means of communicating emotions to the viewer, stimulating a striking empathetic response.

Recently, I had the chance to interview Tania to discuss the artistic influences behind her work and her upcoming projects.

Rom Levy: When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

Tania Marmolejo: Since I was a little girl, I picked up a crayon and found magic.

What is the inspiration behind your work?  My own experiences as a woman, memories of my childhood and teenage years, thoughts and contemplations on life and the female experience. [. . .]

What is the concept in your paintings? Why are women the main subjects of your portraits? And what does the emphasis on the eyes bear?  The concept is female life, women are the central figures because I work from my own experiences. The eyes are the vessels for communication. I want the viewer to be “caught” in a stare that won’t let go. [. . .]

What can you tell us about your palette?  It varies depending on the memory I am portraying, or the feeling I want to express. It can be a cool palette with bits of warmth, or a warm palette with hints of coolness.

There are instances where more than one subject is depicted in your paintings, such as a bird or more female characters. Can you tell us more about these paintings? The animals sometimes represent other people, sometimes they are symbols, sometimes they are a little voice…the other female characters can be a mirror image, a friend, a sister. I let the viewer decide. [. . .]

Being from various backgrounds culturally, how does that influence your work?  My work can be very split in personality, and that comes from my dual Scandinavian- Caribbean heritage. The colors, themes, personalities can be very scandinavian or caribbean, depending on my mood and focus. [. . .]

Tell us about your upcoming plans?  Aside from the solo show at Volery Gallery, which I am very excited about, 2023 is full of solo shows in Asia and Europe, and some group shows too. So I see a lot of my studio walls in my future!

For full interview, see https://streetartnews.net/2022/11/artist-interview-tania-marmolejo.html

For more about the artist, follow her on:
http://taniamarmolejo.com
https://www.instagram.com/tanitam