Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vero Murphy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Vero, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Currently working on a project that I consider my most meaningful project until now. Since 2017 I’ve been working on a series of abstracts paintings in which I use a very special material; ‘yerba mate tea’. It is a very experimental process, which I have been improving over the time. This process is very meaningful to me because the “yerba mate tea” plays a big role in my identity due to the symbolic value it holds for my home country Argentina. This plant was consumed by the Guarani Natives in Northeast Argentina before the Spanish colonization. The Natives attributed divine powers to its leaves, and passed out to us their cultural custom that to this day persists as a national symbol in my country.
I left my homeland in 2011 to move to Brazil. Once there, I was taking part in a collective show where the topic was “food”. It was at that precise moment I realized that “el mate” was my most important food. I drink mate everyday, and I had not realized until that moment that it was the part of my country I had taken with me.
Once in Miami, where I moved in 2014, there was an “artist call” for an exhibition where the subject was “no civilization nor barbarism: cultures in dialogue” which refers to the mix of cultures between the original civilizations in Latin American and European conquerors. This was in 2017 , and after attending that call, I resumed working with the yerba mate as a pigment symbolizing the Natives and the gold leaf symbolizing the European conquerors.
I continue developing that series, and I feel this work is very authentic and autobiographic.

ons, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a visual artist, I was born in Argentina. From 2010 to 2014 I lived in Brazil, where I was surrounded by an exotic vegetation and worked with local artists discovering new techniques and materials. In 2014 I moved to Miami, where I currently live and work. During these years I have participated in many exhibitions like the Biennale Internazionale dell’arte Contemporanea from Firenze in Italy, the Doral Art Museum (DORCAM) and many Art Fairs like Pinta Miami in the US.
In my series of paintings, the materials and mediums I use are selected precisely to emphasize their inherent symbolic value to reinforce the message I’m trying to communicate.
Through my art, I am hoping my viewing public will pause and reflect on the fascinating world we live in and understand our place in it as human beings beyond geographical borders, race or gender.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The path for artists is not an easy one. You need all kinds of support because it is a lonely journey and it is not marked. First of all, for emergent artists it is important to find spaces where you can show your art. Public spaces where you don’t need to pay are fundamental. In addition find galleries that support you, with share profits, without fees for using the space. The artist have already worked and invested a lot at this point. Once a middle career artist, you need Museums to open the doors to new artists.
Throughout the whole journey it is essential that the public visits your exhibitions. The artwork is not finished until it is observed by the viewer.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questi

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I really enjoy the process. These small accomplishments that appear during the execution are really a joy to me. I also like the opening of a show, and definitely love when someone likes my work so much that they decide to take it to their home to look at it every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: veromurphy.com
• Instagram: @vero_murphy_art