At 24, Chinon Maria retired as a professional alpine skier to pursue art. Her use of bright colors is a nod to her Colombian heritage and she calls her work a feminist narrative with emphasis on history and culture.

“It’s definitely a challenge to break in and to be respected and to get the same credit as a male artist,” she explained.
Only 30% of art in commercial galleries is made by women.

“There’s many great, great female artists who are really coming, you know, right in the forefront and changing the way that we look at things and showing that like, you know, as a woman, as a female, that we can create something just as big, just as, you know, monumental and beautiful at the same time,” she stated.

The artist hopes her art changes perspectives and inspires progress.

“It’s just that moment of taking an opportunity to have someone look at the world just a little differently,” she explained. “And to all of a sudden be exposed to something that is right in front of them that they never, that they could never see.”

Together, Chinon Maria and her husband oversee Sokoki Studios, where they offer workshops and lectures to unite communities through public art.

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