We were lucky to catch up with Mariana Gómez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mariana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Before graduating from university, while presenting my thesis project, one of Colombia’s most prominent art collectors contacted me wanting to purchase my entire art project. Being so young and achieving such a significant sale without an established career as an artist was a tremendous accomplishment. This experience showed me that making a living from art was possible – I just had to try.

I decided to pursue a dual path: creating my artistic work while simultaneously working in various art-related companies including galleries, fairs, universities, and non profits. I successfully managed both roles for some time, which gave me the foundation to learn about art sales, management, exhibitions, curation, and working with artists.

In 2018, I made the bold decision to focus solely on my artistic career. I resigned from all my other positions, rented a studio space, and despite my fears, took the leap. I managed to sustain myself through my art alone for nearly three years. During the pandemic, many of my previous clients and contacts began approaching me not only to purchase my paintings but also works from fellow artists, which led me to become an art dealer.

In 2022, I opened my own gallery. While I love creating my own work, I couldn’t deny my passion for exhibiting other artists’ work – showing people what’s being created, what other artists want to express, and sharing their voices. Since then, I’ve cultivated a life where I create and exhibit my art worldwide through various galleries while running my own pop-up gallery, showcasing what’s happening in the contemporary Colombian art world.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a visual artist, I have spent many years exploring themes of women and femininity in my artwork. I like to address topics that women traditionally cannot discuss, either because they are considered taboo or because we’ve been taught that “quiet women look prettier” (a famous Colombian saying). I have dedicated my artistic work to speaking about women’s nature, our bodies, rituals, and secrets. I completed my undergraduate degree in painting at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, and earned a master’s degree in sculpture from Pratt Institute in New York. I consider myself a multifaceted artist, exploring various mediums to communicate my ideas, including painting, embroidery, sculpture, installations, and drawings.

I am proud to say that my artistic work has taken me far, with exhibitions around the world including solo shows, group exhibitions, and art fairs. I have had the honor of working with galleries I deeply admire, such as Otros 360 in Bogotá and AWS (Artist Workspace Gallery) in London. Working alongside galleries that share my passion for art is essential to me, as together we can help people develop deeper connections with artistic practices.

I have been so passionate about art throughout my life that I feel creating artwork alone in my studio is not enough. That’s why I have created different art platforms to generate deep connections between art enthusiasts (and newcomers) and artists. I enjoy curating exhibitions that showcase what artists are thinking about, researching, and expressing. I love connecting people, being an art matchmaker who helps collectors find their perfect artwork while ensuring artists feel happy that their work is shared and appreciated. This led me to create my own pop-up art gallery called DAMA (Lady in English) to establish a safe space for artists, where the focus goes beyond just sales to foster connection, exploration, depth, innovation, and avant-garde expression. One thing I’m particularly proud of at DAMA is our rule that every exhibition must have at least an equal number of male and female artists, or preferably more women than men. This is important because in Colombia, as in other parts of the world, exhibitions are often dominated by male artists. For example, in my current exhibition, we have 27 artists – 8 men and 19 women – which makes me very happy as it reflects thorough research, moving beyond the comfort of the familiar to discover new talented female artists.

Working with and for women is one of my greatest driving forces. Whether through my artistic practice or cultural management, I am consistently focused on fostering meaningful conversations about women’s work and what it means to be a woman in today’s world. That’s why, regardless of the work I’m doing, my audience will always see a strong connection to femininity in everything I create. I hope to always uphold women’s reputation and demonstrate how strong, powerful, accomplished, creative, and magical we are.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past year, it’s that every single person is inherently creative. Creativity is a divine right of all human beings – the challenge is that many of us have learned to suppress this creativity and have become disconnected from it.

Regardless of our profession or calling, we all need creativity to live, to be free, to solve problems, and most importantly, to connect with our true essence.

To those who believe they aren’t creative because they’re not artists or don’t work in the arts, I want to tell you that this simply isn’t true. Within each of you exists an enormous creative power – you are capable of creating the life you want, the things you desire, and the relationships you seek. The only difference is that artists often face their fears head-on in pursuit of their dreams, and despite the path not always being easy, we keep walking because we know it’s what drives us.

People often ask me, “You wake up every day and just paint all day long – I wish I could have a life like that.” To questions like these, I always respond: you can. However, I want to be clear that artists don’t just paint in their studios all day. We also handle administrative work, networking, apply for open calls, maintain our websites, and create content for social media. An artist’s work goes far beyond just painting. But the life we live is the life we want to live, and we can do this because we’re deeply connected with ourselves through our inner creativity.

So I’ll say it again: we are all creative beings, we all have the divine right to create, and we can all create the life we want – we just need to take that leap.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

For me, the most important thing is to create deep connections with people and to increase the number of individuals who engage with art – whether through collecting, appreciating, gifting, living with it, or experiencing it in their daily lives.

I believe art is much more than just a masterpiece, and being an artist extends far beyond being the creator. My life’s mission is to be someone who, through their creations, forms profound bonds with others – whether through a finished piece, a social media post, a workshop, or an unforgettable creative experience. I deeply aspire to make art something that connects all human beings, encouraging everyone to make space for it in their lives in whatever way resonates with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.marianagomezart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianagomezart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marianagomezart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-g%C3%B3mez-03703226/
• Twitter: https://x.com/marianagomezart
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@marianagomezart2724
• Other: Tiktok: @mariana.gomez.art