All Photos from Artist's Instagram

Visual Artist Spotlight: Paula Duró

Welcome to the magical world of Paula Duró, where indigenous women rule, the environments are fantastical, and the otherworldly visuals will make you feel like you took the best hallucinogenic substance ever.  

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Paula Duró’s paintings are worth trillions.

Based in Buenos Aries, Argentina, Paula has cultivated an impressive following while remaining somewhat elusive, sharing the depths of her mind and spirit with the world exclusively through her art. Stunning to say the least, her work combines mystic symbolism and psychedelic imagery with bold colors, wondrous settings and strong female protagonists, guiding observers on a healing journey through the timeless wisdom of indigenous cultures.

Describing herself as a “painter of light and shadow,” Paula’s work explores the spiritual plane, the light and dark forces that inhabit it, and how we as humans can embrace such forces and live in harmony with them. Her art encourages us to rediscover the sacred sense of unity we have with the universe and acknowledge our role and connectedness with it. A concept that couldn’t be more relevant.

The divine and spiritual symbolism inherent in her work caught the attention of internationally renowned publisher, Taschen, who invited Paula to contribute to their debut volume of the Library of Esoterica series. The book documents the creative ways we strive to connect to the divine and explores how centuries of artists have given form to mysticism, translating the arcane and the obscure into enduring, visionary works of art – which is exactly what Paula’s art does.

Her intricate paintings are made in acrylic, which she uses to emulate other media like oil, pastel and airbrushes. She has not only mastered painting in multiple different styles while retaining cohesiveness, but she has also achieved a 3D-like quality in her paintings, making the fantasy universes she’s created all the more enticing to explore. In addition to paintings, Paula also creates pencil drawings, full-scale installations, album art and music videos, event flyers and has collaborated on everything from purses to side-tables. She also shares her wisdom through teaching painting workshops at Galeria Patio del Liceo, provides artistic direction and VJs for various musical projects.

Through her marvelous artistic vision, Paula encourages us all to shape the world with our dreams, actively participating in creation, so we don’t become doomed to live in a world imagined by other people. Through bridging our physical world to unseen ones, Paula’s art reminds us of the beauty and magic of the planet we inhabit and that we can be a part of this magic if we are aware of it.