Larissa De Jesús is devoted to contemplating before she creates. Her artistic universe explores several dualities, including the relationship between the inner world and the outer one. She observes what is outside and paints what she feels inside. "All my work is honoring nature. At the same time that it's honoring my own nature," the 32-year-old Puerto Rican artist tells Platea. In July of this year, she brought that universe to Method bottles, the body care brand, to represent Old San Juan and Puerto Rico.
Method contacted her for "Shower in Creativity," a campaign that selected eight artists from eight cities, including San Juan, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix and San Francisco. Larissa was asked for a painting representing the capital to be used on a body wash's packaging.
Her first proposal brought together, in a single surrealist image, the Universidad de Puerto Rico, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo and the Choli. The brand then asked for a simpler design for the bottle, and she created a print of Old San Juan using only three colors.
The artist says, laughing, that the collaboration with Method fits naturally with her work. Throughout her career she has painted pieces in which she appears in the shower, exploring the ritual of bathing and that space as a place where ideas are born.
For the artist, what matters most is what the bottle stirs in others, especially in Puerto Ricans who find it among the many brands on Walmart's shelves and off the Island.
Puerto Ricans living abroad share the bottle on social media because they see "a little piece of themselves," not only in the design but also in the fragrance, which combines notes of pineapple, mandarin and peach.
For her, it is about "representation," and that is why she advocates hiring Latino and artists of color for projects like this one.
De Jesús's work has also reached fashion through collaborations with brands such as Zara for the "Women in Art" campaign, Paris Laundry, and the sportswear brand Champion.
Colaboración con Champion
Colaboración con Zara
Colaboración con Paris Laundry
From drawing to Hunter College
Her passion for art blossomed at age 9, when her mother enrolled her in the Escuela Central de Artes Visuales. She later studied graphic design at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas and from there moved to Hunter College in New York, where she studied painting and drawing.
She defines her work as introspective, interested in showing "what cannot be seen." In surrealism she finds a space that allows her to tie reality to her imagination. She did this from New York, and two years ago she returned to Puerto Rico for family reasons, but also to explore the artistic landscape that exists on the Island.
Her work invites you to slow down. "Through art there is a door where you can enter and take it slow," she says.
Sabroso Projects
Together with her partner she runs Sabroso Projects, a commercial gallery that was born in New York six years ago and today operates at #802 Calle Corchado in Santurce. The space distinguishes itself by creating exhibitions that tell the story of the art, but also of the artist.
The gallery has presented artists such as Edgardo Larregui, in his first solo show in 15 years, and ceramicist Zuleyka Alejandro. On Oct. 22, an exhibition by ceramicist Angelique Rodríguez opens, featuring her cups known as "Artificio."
Zuleyka Alejandro
Edgardo Larregui
Angelique Rodríguez
The space is one of those that participates in Martes de Galería, on the first Tuesday of each month. "That's when everyone gathers to enjoy art from Puerto Rico," she explains.
On the diaspora artists who show in her space, she says: "We want to be that bridge so they have an audience here." They are currently in the process of opening a second location in Dorado.
What happens inside the home
Larissa is preparing two solo exhibitions for 2027. "Everything revolves around what happens in the intimacy of the home. Those rituals, those moments no one sees," she explains.
"Lo Invisible" will be at Luis De Jesús Gallery in Los Ángeles, with works mostly on paper.
"A Fuego Lento" opens in March at Kalkman Gallery in Maastricht, Holland, with larger pieces in wood and linen. For this exhibition, he works with acrylic, oil, colored pencil, graphite and watercolor. "I don't tie myself to any one thing," he says.
Art in Puerto Rico
He acknowledges that the local market is smaller than that of other cities, "but art sells here. There are people who love art, who see the value of art, who are serious collectors," he says. He also sees movement: "They're growing. There are many galleries growing. There are many artists who are dedicating their whole lives to making art here."
Lo que pasa es que no se puede comparar a ningún otro. Es bien único. Y está bien basado en la comunidad. En la ayuda del prójimo. En que la gente te apoye. Ese apoyo es bien bonito aquí en Puerto Rico
A piece of advice. To students at La Central and Artes Plásticas, he speaks from the experience of someone who has also had doubts. "Don't give up. Don't quit. Don't look for the easy way. Because everything that's truly worth it takes work. And it's OK not to know. It's OK," he says.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
