We recently connected with Maria Paula Suarez and have shared our conversation below.

Maria Paula, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you have an agent or someone (or a team) that helps you secure opportunities and compensation for your creative work? How did you meet you, why did you decide to work with them, why do you think they decided to work with you?

Angela and Iliana have been there since the very beginning. I remember fondly the day we connected and have cherished our relationship every day since. They helped me shape my portfolio professionally and have walked alongside me through various challenges. I’m incredibly proud to be represented by Otros 360 Gallery in Bogotá, Colombia.

Before we met, I had worked at ARTBO (Bogotá International Art Fair) in press and social media, so I was already familiar with the gallery’s program. Then, one Thursday in 2021, I attended an exhibition as a spectator, and while admiring Lilian Leff’s playful sculptures in one of the rooms, Angela approached me and said, “What’s your name? You look familiar.” Since we were still wearing masks after the pandemic, I lowered mine and shared that I had attended art fairs before and was an artist. She then asked to see pictures of my work, and the story took off from there. I later emailed my portfolio to both Angela and Iliana, and we arranged an official meeting to review the works in person.

What motivated me to work with them was our shared sensibility toward visual narratives that aligned with mine. I understood why they were interested in my work, and more importantly, I felt I could communicate openly with them. There’s still a warm sense of connection when we talk, built on honesty, drive, and passion—three values that are very important to me.

I remember my heart racing as I entered their office; it was my first professional art business meeting where I presented my life’s work to gallerists. We began with a consignment agreement, and after the works received a positive reception, the gallery formally took me on as an artist. Our relationship has since been a beautiful journey filled with growth, mentorship, and open conversations. I believe it’s essential to have aligned sensibilities with your gallerists, as it makes communication effortless and the work truly enjoyable—this has certainly been my experience.

Since then, we’ve organized a significant solo show before I moved to the US, participated in two international art fairs, and collaborated on several group shows and projects that have been invaluable for my professional growth, including gallery highlights and special features.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a visual artist who works primarily with embroidery on paper, exploring themes of love in its many forms and using language as a tool to understand it. My art reflects my relationships with the world—a life project inspired by the people and perspectives I’ve encountered. Through this work, I seek to capture the complexity of human connection and the delicate, layered emotions that come with it.

My practice began with an exploration of resilience and the ways we navigate trauma. I approached this journey in three stages: pain, self-love, and healing, finding that what we focus on, we magnify. This process led me to the belief that examining our wounds through the lens of the psyche is a form of true love—seeing ourselves fully is essential to embracing ourselves. The meaning we attach to our experiences shapes our emotions, which, in turn, shape our lives. My work invites others to delve into these deeper layers, beginning with a look within.

I chose embroidery on paper as my medium because of its fragility, which resonates with the themes I explore. In 2018, following a surgery to remove a cyst from my left breast, I created my first series of embroideries. The act of sewing and drawing with thread brought me peace, encouraging me to continue with this delicate practice. Working with paper requires patience and care—qualities that have become central to my journey of vulnerability and self-discovery.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Certainly!
One of my main goals is to prompt reflections upon our existence and the relationship with each other.
Awareness of how we connect with the world really starts with how we talk to ourselves—it all begins within. By sharing my most honest self, I hope to spark feelings of vulnerability, acceptance, and hope in anyone who experiences my art.
My mission starts with me, and I’d love for this energy to ripple outward, creating a wave of positivity.

I’m not aiming to change anyone else’s experience, just to share my own reality. Being an artist—and putting my feelings and inner thoughts out there—has been a big challenge, but art makes it possible. There are no rules, and my creative journey has become a safe space to express and explore my thoughts, ideas, and memories through the lens of love,

I want my art to be a reminder of how emotions make our existence beautiful.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I have unlearned previous concepts of love to rebuild them.

There is tremendous freedom in not believing every thought we have and in realizing how strong our minds can be once we dare to embrace both darkness and light as a whole.

Self-awareness is a journey of patience and love, and through it, I have unlearned many misconceptions about love that were deeply ingrained in my beliefs. I was in a long-term relationship that affected me psychologically in profound ways. It was only by confronting feelings of despair, sadness, and anger (among the other 84 emotions we experience) that I discovered my resilience and came to understand a new way of love—a healthy love. By accepting all the emotions within me, I unlearned the idea that some feelings are “bad.” As a human, I have the right and responsibility to feel it all.

Although I’m still on the journey to understand what love truly is and how it comes to be, I’m finding that, in the search itself, I’m uncovering answers. I’m discovering myself, digging deep, and understanding my emotions better. I don’t have all the answers (at least not yet), but this journey fills me with curiosity and wonder. Now true love genuinely excites me—and if you’re reading this, perhaps it excites you too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mariapaulasuarez.com
• Instagram: @mariapsuarezart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-paula-suarez-diaz-a45241137/

Image Credits

Juan David Sanchez