MXN

Mónica Loya

Mónica Loya (Chihuahua, Mexico, 1990) is a Mexican visual artist whose work falls within the realm of pop surrealism. Through painting and illustration, she explores the human figure, primarily female, and emotions such as anxiety, melancholy, and desire. Her work combines everyday scenes with dreamlike atmospheres, using soft palettes and compositions that reveal a tension between the intimate and the unsettling.

Artist Statement

"I believe that my paintings, beyond representing a specific moment or image, are always linked to a memory, an emotion, or something from the subconscious. I don't just paint what I see, but what I feel. I feel it's quite generational, but I think anxiety is a very important creative tool if you know how to channel it."

"I appear in all my paintings in one way or another. Perhaps not literally, but if I want to paint hands or legs, it's easier for me to use myself as a reference. Sometimes I also use my friends a lot. I'm always taking pictures, seeing if anything will work later. The image, the idea, always comes first. Then, as I work on it, I begin to notice the details that come from an emotion or something more introspective."