About me
personal biography
introducing myself
Magaly Arocha Rivas
My name is Magaly Arocha Rivas, originally from Caracas, Venezuela. After completing my scientific high school education, I pursued my bachelor’s degree in international studies winning a diplomatic competition, I was assigned my first destination: the Holy See. In Rome, I learned from artist Ninni Verga, from whom I honed my painting technique.
I went back to Caracas for a while until I moved to Naples, a city that in some ways still reminds me of my hometown: hectic yet colorful. On June 30th, 2011 I was transferred back to Caracas and I chose not to go, staying in Italy to devote myself to my daughters and family instead. I currently live and work In Bologna, where I resumed my drawing studies, left my diplomatic career behind, and found my new identity as a figurative painter.
What I am most passionate about is informing and communicating my closeness to the “last ones,” who not only are poor or marginalized, but they often are our closest ones, women, un-known populations, indigenous people of the Amazon. My canvases depict contemporary society and, along with it, the themes that animate and define it: feminism, environmental issues, and specific countries war dynamics.
Through portraiture, I engage in a painting form that is not hyper realistic in lines and forms. It is instead as deeply realistic and truthful as possible to the world and its reality we live in, to the issues concerning men and women today. By doing so I am aiming to give voice and attention to everyday stories that have not had enough spotlight by mass media. I am learning and bringing more awareness on this topic through commitment, passion, and research.
how i work
Personal Techniques
My preferred technique is oil on canvas, which I often use combined with acrylic. The painting process begins with brushes and then moves to a spatula, allowing space for intuitive gestures and power of the material. Recently, I’ve been using gesso bases and different tools to apply colors.
My expressionist approach highlights the physicality of the representation, where chiaroscuro and bold chromatics are visible.
