In her vibrant paintings, Shirley Villavicencio Pizango (1988, Peru) uses memories, family stories, and personal encounters to create poetic portraits of friends, family, and strangers. Her figures appear in settings steeped in symbolism: lush Amazonian flora, ceramic motifs, and geometric patterns reminiscent of Inca culture. At the same time, she draws inspiration from the European painting tradition, in which colour and form acquire emotional power. Villavicencio Pizango doesn’t shy away from broader social themes either, such as gender, diversity and identity in a Western context. Publication in collaboration with Gallery Sofie Van de Velde.