Monika Ruiz-B
Year of birth: 1964
Where do you live: I’m living in Marseille France
Your education: DNSEP, Ecole des -Beaux Arts, Aix-en-Provence, France.
Maîtrise d’Arts Plastiques – University of Aix-Marseille – Aix-en-Provence, France.
Bachelor of Fine -Art – University of Massachusetts – Boston, MA, USA.
Your discipline: Photography, drawing, collage, painting, printmaking, ceramics
Describe your art in three words Eclectic, conceptual, introspective.
Website | Instagram
Your artistic practice seems to be centered on questioning dogma. Can you tell us about an experience or artwork where you felt you truly broke free from established conventions?
In both my artistic work and my daily life, I have always been interested in exploring ways in which things could be seen or approached differently. These concerns have led me on an artistic quest to break away from the established in order to offer a new perspective on a chosen theme.
Aqua Bon is an artistic approach that involves immersing photographs in glass containers filled with water. This creates a dual effect, attempting to preserve memories while simultaneously exposing the characters through the play of reflections and transparencies. It is a fusion of photography, installation, and symbolism.Water, with its movement and transparency, becomes a medium that alters and transforms the image, just as time does with memories.
The choice of glass containers adds another dimension: they protect and expose at the same time, creating a tension between conservation and distortion.This evokes memory itself, which seeks to freeze the past but remains malleable, influenced by perception and emotion. This project challenges the idea of a fixed, immutable memory-often perceived as absolute-by demonstrating that it is, in fact, fluid, alterable, and subject to the interplay of reflections and transparencies. This raises the question of whether a memory can truly be preserved intact or whether every act of preservation is, in itself, a transformation.
Another example of this approach is Cornered Illusions, a work that explores the concept of landscape, a term with a broad semantic range that is difficult to define with precision. While some aspects of its meaning are commonly understood, this is often due more to intuition than to any systematic definition, with one of its fundamental qualities lying in its inherent link to aesthetic appreciation.In Cornered Illusions, the landscape is constructed through successive transformations, both photographic and material, altering perception in the process. Rather than presenting landscapes as passive subjects, they encourage viewers to engage with them more deeply.By evoking varied responses, the works aim to unsettle and challenge the viewer.
How do you approach the balance between challenging norms and creating work that is still accessible and engaging to your audience?
It’s an intriguing question. The truth is that striking a balance between creating art that is both accessible and physically appealing while also prompting reflection on established norms is a significant task. In my work, I attempt to allow for numerous interpretations while avoiding preconceived notions. My goal is for the audience to examine commonly accepted conventions on their own.
Providing context through titles, explanations, and work growth are critical components in enhancing the viewer’s understanding.
Monika Ruiz-B | Work in progressYour use of photography as a medium is a key part of your work. How do you feel photography allows you to challenge the boundaries of art in a way that other media might not?
Photography has always been a part of my life, allowing me to document experiences and the passage of time while also serving as a platform for creative expression. Although I work in various media, photography provides a unique flexibility that is essential to my artistic practice.
One of the key reasons for my deep engagement with this medium is its complex relationship with “reality.” Do photographs truly capture an objective truth, or are they merely interpretations of reality? This question drives my exploration of photography’s potential. By introducing textures, distortions, or other alterations, I challenge the boundary between the real and the fabricated, reshaping our understanding of memory, time, and history.
Beyond being a creative tool, photography also serves as a space for inquiry. It invites experimentation that questions perception and challenges conventional ways of seeing and interpreting images. Ultimately, photography functions both as a record of time and place and as a dynamic, adaptable medium for artistic exploration and critical reflection.
In your statement, you mention the act of ‘transgressing principles.’ Can you share more about a specific project where you explored this idea of transgression and what the reaction was from the audience?
This exploration is evident in many of my works, including Borders without Limits. The title itself invites intrigue-not as a contradiction, but as a juxtaposition of concepts that seem opposed yet interconnected, their relationship defined by a mere preposition.
Borders without Limits is a photographic series that examines the concept of “border.” What does a border signify? How is it defined, used, and perceived across different societies, geographic contexts, and disciplines? Do borders truly have limits? If so, what purpose do these limits serve, and why do they exist? This project merges photography and plastic arts, allowing it to evolve over time.
This fluidity grants artistic representation a boundless and ever-expanding dimension, embracing diverse interpretations and endless possibilities. The work has been exhibited in various venues, including galleries, museums, and photography festivals. Fortunately, Borders without Limits has consistently received positive reactions, with many viewers remarking on how the photographs challenge the ambiguity of established dogmas.
However, on occasion, the work has been marked or torn down when displayed at festivals. I am unsure whether this stems from a lack of understanding, a lack of sympathy, or outright disagreement.
Monika Ruiz-B | Fraguile SurvivorsHow does your multicultural background influence your art and approach to breaking conventions, especially having lived in Colombia, the US, and France?
My multicultural background has deeply shaped my artistic approach and my way of challenging conventions. Living in Colombia, the United States, and France has given me firsthand insight into how the same individual can be perceived very differently depending on cultural context. This experience has broadened my perspective, fostering a continuous reflection on both the contrasts and commonalities between cultures, as well as a deep respect for diversity. During my studies in Boston and Aix-en-Provence, I became increasingly aware of how Art History is still predominantly taught from a Western-centric perspective. While Europe’s influence on movements like the Renaissance or Modernism is undeniable, art has always been a global phenomenon-one that predates and extends far beyond this framework. Unfortunately, many artistic traditions remain underrepresented in traditional education. This lack of recognition has been a driving force in my work, inspiring me to explore and elevate artistic expressions that have been historically marginalized. It has also pushed me to rethink artistic and conceptual frameworks, analyzing and approaching them from alternative perspectives.
Your work has been displayed in prestigious festivals and galleries. How does being part of such global exhibitions shape your creative process or the messages you want to convey in your work?
Participating in prestigious festivals and galleries has profoundly influenced my creative process and the messages I seek to convey through my art. These international exhibitions provide me with the opportunity to engage with diverse audiences and contribute new perspectives that challenge and enrich my work. The exposure to different artistic expressions and the critiques I receive foster continuous development, pushing me to explore new themes and techniques. Furthermore, the recognition and validation in such esteemed spaces inspire my commitment to exploring universal concepts such as borders, perception, time, memory, and difference, turning my art into a channel for intercultural dialogue and reflection.
Monika Ruiz-B | Borders without limitsCan you describe how you engage with the viewer through your art? What kind of response do you hope to provoke from them?
My main goal is to establish an authentic connection with the viewer, engaging them both intellectually and emotionally. I strive to encourage reflection, questioning, and introspection while transforming perspectives and perceptions. Additionally, I seek to create new connections with what is observed or evoke experiences that resonate with the viewer’s own journey.
To achieve this, I incorporate visual storytelling, symbolism, and a range of expressive techniques such as superimpositions, strong contrasts, and deformations using mirrors and reflections. These elements amplify the visual and conceptual impact of my work, adding multiple layers of meaning and inviting diverse interpretations.
Ultimately, I aim for art to become a space for personal interpretation and emotional dialogue with each viewer.
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