Every layer tells a story
Brenda Rodríguez is an abstract painter and designer whose practice is informed by a life shaped across cultures and landscapes. Born in Peru and closely connected to Europe, she is currently based in Germany, following some formative years living and working in New York City. Her work explores themes of cultural identity, motherhood, and emotional memory, translating personal experience into layered abstract landscapes. Painting functions as a liberating and intuitive process—one through which inner states, dreams, and subconscious imagery are allowed to surface.
Working primarily with oils and acrylics on canvas and paper, Rodríguez builds textured surfaces through successive layers applied with brushes and a palette knife. Her process remains open and instinctive, allowing forms and figures to emerge organically as the work unfolds. As the artist reflects, “Every artwork is a story that does not need words to be told—a journey without a set destination, a voyage of the soul without a predefined outcome.”
Artist Statement
My work emerges from personal experience and lived emotion, shaped by movement across cultures, relationships, and inner landscapes. Themes of identity, belonging, and emotional memory recur throughout my practice, reflecting the ambivalence of feeling connected to many places while fully belonging to none. Working primarily with oils and acrylics on canvas and paper, I approach painting as an intuitive and physical process. I often begin with the canvas on the floor, applying diluted layers of paint that gradually give way to thicker, more textured surfaces. Using brushes and palette knives, I build depth and tension through successive layers, allowing the work to evolve organically. Painting is my most immediate form of communication—a space where emotions, thoughts, and dreams can surface without the need for language. Rather than narrating a fixed story, my intention is to open a shared emotional space, inviting viewers to recognize their own experiences and inner reflections within the work.
