A Conversation with Larissa Linhares
To step into Larissa Linhares’ world is to step barefoot into the forest—into memory, myth, and something more ancient than language. Her work hums with color and breathes with spirit, blending personal history with cultural inheritance. In this exchange, we trace the roots of her visual language, its deep ties to Brazilian identity, and the alchemy that transforms paint into portal.
AMM: You say your art is a "vivid tapestry of Amazonian dreams"—are these dreams yours, your ancestors’, or the forest itself whispering through the paint?LL: Those are memories from my childhood, also I can say are my dreams as well, a mix of reality and dreams , but essentially my connection with nature, where the forest whispered through my paint. It’s a very strong bound with nature bringing a feeling of grounding of myself, into my essence and my Brazilian heritage.
AMM: How do you navigate the fine line between honoring indigenous spirituality and speaking in your own visual language—where does homage end and your personal mythos begin?LL: Bringing back my Brazilian’s identity, reassure who I’m as an individual in this planet, bringing back my memories and connection with the indigenous culture connected myself with my truth , my interior child. Growing up surrounded by the indigenous culture and spirituality mixed with other religious and believes, created a unique vision of world, in which I built my own visual language, which doesn’t have rules nor format, only feelings, emotions and memories. All mixed to bring to reality my own world which is a result of many experiences, memories and sensations. Indeed, it’s a very raw art, but at same time very unique and timeless.
AMM: Your colors feel like they’re sweating, breathing, alive. Are you painting memory, or are you painting sensation?LL: I’m painting both, my intention it’s to bring life to others, it’s to fulfill others’ soul. It’s not just a painting itself, but is extreme connection to an interior place inside us, hidden.
AMM: There’s a lyrical, almost musical rhythm to your brushwork—do you see your paintings more as images or as incantations?LL: My paintings are who I’m, it’s my soul in canvas, a deeply mystery of ourselves as individuals, bringing life to feelings, vibrations and memories. Those paintings are eternal, with a mix of spirituality and reality.
AMM: In a world flooded with surface-level 'nature art,' how do you ensure your work isn't just pretty foliage but a portal into something deeper, riskier, more haunted? LL: My painting goes beyond just an nature art, it’s a deepen and intricate connection with nature, memories and feelings from years within nature, a grounding sensation to belong to that place surrounded by plants, rivers, rains, skies and animals. It’s a living life with nature, Brazilian heritage and spirituality.
Larissa Linhares Art
