Andru Suarez Rojas
Andru Suárez Rojas (b. 1994, Barrancas, Colombia) is a contemporary artist who explores folklore through staged compositions that interrogate identity, transvestism, and time. His work constructs dreamlike, "non-place" environments dedicated to preserving history and memory by synthesizing the Surrealist legacy of Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, and Frida Kahlo with the delicate illustrative sensibilities of Beatrix Potter. Rejecting modern pop culture, Suárez Rojas roots his anthropomorphic figures in ancient mythology, literature, and everyday scenes. Within Victorian landscapes that engage in deliberate aesthetic globalization and artistic hybridization, rabbits symbolize transvestism through the narrative of The Ballad of Mulan, while cats channel the Egyptian goddess Bastet as cultural bridges. Amidst these complex thematic dialogues, native South American animals, such as the capybara, embody a serene and quiet observation.
AVAILABLE PAINTINGS BY ANDRU SUAREZ ROJAS
MORE FROM THIS ARTIST
THE CONFESSIONS SERIES
About the CONFESSIONS series: Confessions is a series of works inspired by Marcel Duchamp's concept of the box in a valise. Taking the act of unpacking a box as its departure point, these pieces reveal playful, lighthearted details that progressively shift into profound vulnerability as the viewer engages with them.
THE CREATIONISM SERIES
About the CREATIONISM series: The creationism is a series of works that proposes a visual universe where anthropomorphic rabbits and cats become the architects of the everyday. Through the use of threads and overflowing elements, these characters weave and spin details; the threads act as the physical and conceptual bond that unites matter, representing how human history and routine are woven. The series prioritizes the richness of close-up elements, textures, and subtle nuances over monumental or rigid structures, reinterpreting them through the meticulous labor of these Victorian characters. Each piece in the series functions as an independent narrative, a self-contained universe that tells its own particular story. However, they all share a unifying conceptual core: the constant action of spinning and embroidering. The series is inspired by Remedios Varo's painting, Embroidering the Earth’s Mantle.
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THE WHIRLER SERIES
About the WHIRLER series: The Whirler is a series featuring rabbit-headed creatures in Victorian dresses spinning on a wheel. This concept stems directly from the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty and the image of the witch secluded in the tower before the princess pricks her finger. Drawing from the classical myth of the spinner, the work presents an anthropomorphic figure who, at first glance, is perceived as a female rabbit, yet is ultimately revealed to be a male rabbit in drag. Though it may appear to be a lady rabbit, it is actually a male rabbit dressed as a woman; the pieces play with dress codes to mislead the viewer in the exact same manner as cross-dressing.
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EXHIBITIONS
ANDRU SUAREZ ROJAS
REPRESENTED ARTIST
Andru Suárez Rojas (b. 1994, Barrancas, La Guajira, Colombia) is a contemporary artist whose work explores the concept of folklore through staged settings and compositions that interrogate identity, transvestism, and time.
Suárez Rojas creates dreamlike, "non-place" environments that evoke the human capacity for preserving histories and memories. His visual language is deeply influenced by the visionary legacy of Surrealist artists Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, and Frida Kahlo, seamlessly interwoven with the delicate watercolor sensibilities of British illustrator Beatrix Potter.
Literature and everyday scenes serve as foundational pillars for his compositions. Rather than drawing from modern pop culture, the artist's anthropomorphic creatures are rooted in ancient mythologies and folklore:
The Rabbits: While easily mistaken for references to Alice in Wonderland, their presence is intrinsically linked to the concept of transvestism. They find their origin in The Ballad of Mulan, the historic Chinese folk poem detailing a woman who disguises herself as a man to take her father's place in the military.
The Cats: These figures evoke the manifestation of the Egyptian goddess Bastet, acting as a bridge between distinct cultural traditions.
By positioning these symbolic animals within Victorian-inspired landscapes, Suárez Rojas engages in a deliberate process of aesthetic globalization and artistic hybridization. Furthermore, native South American animals, such as the capybara, appear sporadically throughout his work, embodying a sense of serene, quiet observation amidst these complex thematic dialogues.