Lara-Jo Riva
Lara-Jo Riva is a multimedia artist whose found objects, clay forms, and rhythmic, gridded paintings mobilize a visual lexicon of the unconscious, staging an intuitive dance between order and chaos.
Semiotics and syntax collapse into one as a haphazard, gloriously trashy interplay between colors, meanings, and materials magnify language's textural factors.
Browse available works:
Find out more:
Landscape Gardener Series
If There’s a Common Thread Vol. 4, BUNKER (muto projects)
Zlín, Czech Republic
2024
Detail of “Best of Arche Noah”
pigment on canvas
2022
Artist interview:
How would you describe your artistic practice?
My artistic practice moves between painting and object art, with my works often extending beyond the canvas into space.
My painting technique is characterized by an intuitive, process-driven approach: I layer colors, scratch with spatulas, pour lacquer over surfaces. I believe in the power of objects and the way their value shifts through touch, possession, or passing them on -the physical charge is an essential part of my work.
What concepts appear consistently in your practice?
I explore subjective perception, memory, and the interplay of symbols. Forgetfulness plays a central role -by reducing my symbolism to its essence, I preserve moments, thoughts, and conversations so that they are not lost.
The tension between chaos and order, lightness and melancholy, runs throughout my practice.
What techniques or materials do you frequently use?
I work with a variety of materials and techniques to create my paintings and objects. In painting, I work in layers—not only with brushes, but also with spatulas, varnish, oil, acrylic, and readymades.
My paintings are often frameless and appear as wooden panels in the space—they are not only paintings but also object.