Installation from Vanessa Romo’s MFA thesis exhibition

For Vanessa Romo, art is more than a discipline or a profession; it is a way to navigate and understand the complexities of life. Her inspirations—Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois, and Maryann Webster—act as pillars that inform her artistic practice, influencing both her subject matter and her approach to creation. “I have always been fascinated with the surrealist movement, more specifically how artists represent and assert their visions as they relate to personal struggle and mortality,” Romo states. “In all three artists, and in my own work, there seems to be a self-preservation/documentation.”

Romo’s relationship with art began early, shaped by her grandmother, a painter with a deep appreciation for art history and archaeology. The books her grandmother shared became formative, introducing her to works that still resonate. One of the most striking early encounters was with Frida Kahlo’s “Without Hope” (1945), a harrowing self-portrait that captures both physical suffering and existential despair. That Romo’s grandmother had also been very sick, living with a heart condition most of her life and experiencing several near-death experiences, made the portrait all the more poignant for Romo.

Frida Kahlo, “Without Hope,” 1945

This painting, created during a period when Kahlo was force-fed on her doctor’s orders, was accompanied by Kahlo’s own words: “Not the least hope remains to me… Everything moves in time with what the belly contains.” Romo, too, has always been drawn to surrealism and the ways in which artists document personal struggle and mortality. Kahlo’s work, like that of Bourgeois and Webster, does just that—it functions as both self-preservation and self-exploration.

The connection Romo feels to Kahlo extends beyond their shared love for visual storytelling. Both were born in Mexico City, and both experienced chronic health conditions that shaped their perspectives. Romo recalls childhood asthma exacerbated by pollution, leading to repeated hospital visits.  “I too, like my grandmother, and like Frida, was sick a lot as a child. I would suffer from upper respiratory issues that would take me to the hospital because of my asthma. Critical childhood memories/experiences seem to tie all of us together.”

For Romo, what makes Kahlo’s work enduringly powerful is its psychological depth. “Her use of symbolism, and her use of portraiture… That too can be said about the other two artists I have selected, Bourgeois and Webster. Much of what I do is self-portraiture, however, my work filters through a fractured/fragmented lens.”

If Kahlo is a master of introspection and symbolic self-portraiture, Louise Bourgeois is an unrivaled force of raw, unapologetic expression. Romo describes Bourgeois as the “queen of authenticity,” an artist who rejected conventional politeness in favor of a searing honesty. “Her work is unmuzzled, it doesn’t seek to be anything it is not, it doesn’t bow to politeness and the demure, it is unapologetic; I find its intensity to be so invigorating.”

Louise Bourgeois, “Precious Liquids,” 1994

Bourgeois, who moved within Surrealist circles while remaining sharply critical of them, influenced Romo’s understanding of both feminism and artistic independence. Romo first encountered Bourgeois’ work through art history slides as an undergrad but became particularly interested in the artist while a graduate student at the University of Utah when professor Beth Krensky shared a book of the artist’s installations. “In these pages, I saw lenses and reflections, transmuted trauma, fabrics being manipulated and made to look like ghosts, other forms manifested in biomorphic soft sculptures suspended in air, the work was heavy and light, the duality and tension between polarizing materials in the work felt like such an authentic expression, I felt myself and my experiences in those works and still do,” Romo says.

Much of Bourgeois’s work hinges on secrecy—both the revealing and the concealing of it. Romo finds herself drawn to this dynamic, to the idea that art can function as both a means of self-disclosure and self-preservation. “There is a haunting quality to Bourgeois’ work, as well as a metaphysical sensibility, both of which speak to a deep yearning and grief.”

Maryann Webster, a former professor of Romo’s, provides a more direct, personal influence. Webster’s work blends surrealism with environmental themes, mythology, and dream imagery. Romo was struck not only by the content of Webster’s art but by the sheer technical mastery she exhibited, particularly in ceramic illustration. “Her work really has inspired a lot of my drawings and paintings. In addition, she has inspired me as an educator. In her classroom I felt like my ideas were seen and supported, I am so grateful for her art and mentorship.”

Throughout her reflections on these three artists, Romo acknowledges a common thread: the interplay between vulnerability and strength, between personal suffering and creative resilience. “All of the works that I have chosen to share have a similar feature, they feature/imply the bed or a dream-like state. I don’t know if it is identifying as female and the imposed burdens felt from this identification that created the ties I see between the four of us, or if it is something else—that’s really up to you to determine.”

Ceramic box by Maryann Webster

She also recognizes that her relationship with these influences has evolved. “As I have matured and my love affair/pining/deep need to interpret and understand one’s own suffering is a topic I struggle with, along with the flaws in feminism/feminist art. As I have aged and learned, I know/recognize the flaws in first-wave feminism, the racism and exclusion of marginalized groups. I struggle with saying my work is feminist art because of this.”

Romo cites Maya Angelou’s words as a guiding principle: “Most people don’t grow up. It’s too damn difficult … But to grow up costs the earth. It means you take responsibility for the time you take up, for the space you occupy.” To Romo, art is a part of that responsibility. “Many believe it is the artist’s responsibility to unearth truth. I agree—and more often than not, my truths carry a bitterness.”

Ultimately, she hopes to carry forward the radical honesty, the intellectual rigor, and the emotional depth of the artists she admires. “Above all, I hope I can live by these words, and bring even a fraction of what these incredible women brought into my life into the world.”

Vanessa Romo is an artist and educator working in Salt Lake City who currently teaches at the University of Utah and Westminster College. Romo’s work has been exhibited nationally, most recently in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and UMOCA. See more of her work at vanessaromo.com.

Who Do You Love

During the month of February we ask Utah artists about a specific piece of art or artist, living or not, local or global, that has sparked their curiosity or influenced their work. We run their responses throughout the month.