I paint from a need to understand what words cannot always express: fragility, belonging, tenderness, and displacement. My work delves into human vulnerability, migration, and the emotional connections that bind us to others and ourselves.
I primarily work with oil paint, embracing a sober and restrained aesthetic. My paintings often feature human figures in animal pajamas and animals—such as rabbits, dogs, and horses—engaged in human actions. These serve as metaphors for affection, freedom, and inner dignity. The figures exist in suspended spaces, where silence and stillness invite introspection. Some transform into houses—living spaces in perpetual motion, connecting with one another like bodies seeking belonging.
My intention is not to illustrate narratives but to evoke an intimate resonance. Each piece is an invitation to pause, observe, and dwell within emotion. I paint to give form to what hurts, what is yearned for, what endures—and what is loved.
- Rolando Chicas