Rooted in introspection and resilience, Valter Lopes’ practice reveals a devotion to painting that goes beyond aesthetic pursuit — it is a chosen way of being. Navigating between financial instability and creative necessity, Lopes embraces a slow, self-defined path where discipline, freedom, and emotional clarity shape both process and vision. His works, often suspended between figuration and abstraction, reflect a quiet insistence on truth, presence, and personal rhythm.

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Have you ever felt drawn toward a conventional career path? What made you take the "creative leap" despite the risks?

When I finished my studies, I dedicated myself to painting, but for several reasons, the situation was not easy to manage. I did not feel prepared enough. For a few years, I did jobs not related to my area because I had no financial means to live just to paint. I worked in bars, restaurants, campsites and a jazz club to live and be independent, had some money in the pocket, but soon I realized that I did not feel whole and happy. I wasted time creating! It was a key moment for me to feel this emptiness. I felt I preferred to live a less comfortable life financially and dedicate myself to what my soul asked for. The strategy was, for a few years, to have two main works, painting and other professions, to live and paint without financial pressure. Time and money were not much, but with discipline, patience and more joy inside me, I continued to paint, and the first invitations to expose appeared naturally. At that moment, I could choose the painting as a mission/way of life.

How important is it for viewers to understand the intended message of your work? Does ambiguity add value, or do you seek clarity in your expression?

In the process of thinking and performing a painting, I am first interested in realizing for myself, not what message I want to pass, but trying to be clear what I want to represent and how to solve issues that arise so that this representation has somehow clarity. Ambiguity or clarity also depends on several factors; If artwork has more understanding or more extension, what is the relation of the observer with art, will always be an objective and subjective relationship between art and the observer; an example; Michelangelo's Pieta has as objectivity suffering, but the way in which individual experienced this suffering creates subjectivity. The most important thing for me is that I am satisfied with what I paint, and if there is something in my work that connects with others, then it is also good, but I consider it a bonus, not a personal need that my work is objectively or intellectually understood.

How has your artistic style transformed over the years? Are there specific influences, experiments, or moments that marked a turning point?

As I approached in a previous question, the lack of money to work only as a painter was difficult and in a moment of despair/discovery I started working on old paintings and experiments where I realized that it was poetic to leave parts of this old painting float in the new painting, annulling a time exactly where figuration merged and a certain abstraction. Another interesting moment in this discovery process was realising the existing dialogue between me and the canvas. I understood that when I am satisfied with what is represented, I should not touch more. All these discovery moments have created something seemingly unfinished, leaving work as an open narrative, spontaneous, in which something is not fully relieved. Since this moment to today I still use this way of painting.

Do academic institutions still play a vital role in shaping artists today, or has self-taught creativity disrupted this tradition?

Personally, I think academic background is important for artists, to be able to extend horizons, learn techniques and live with other students/artists, know and understand the past and gift of art and their role in the world. I had a teacher in the discipline of sculpture who marked me a lot with a simple sentence and which made me see things from another perspective; "Learn the maximum while you are with us, after that you send everything to hell." Then I would say that the academic institutions are important, but not a vital thing; it depends on the path that each artist wants to do. I know fantastic artists who did not have school with artistic teaching, but who attend workshops with other artists, and they end up developing a great job that way.

Do you believe artists have a responsibility to address climate change or environmental concerns in their work? Why or why not?

I think the artists have the duty and the responsibility of being who they really are, they think or feel. If the essence of being who are turned to these themes, that's fine! Personally, I do not think there is a direct responsibility for the artist to have to address climate or environmental changes in his work. There must be other means for discussing these themes as real, urgent and worrisome for our planet. In my view, painting is not intended to convey an implicit message of an action about reality, but rather create a reality. This is the responsibility of the artist.

List five core themes or messages you aim to convey through your art.

✧ contemplation

✧ reflection

✧ freedom

✧ laziness

✧ essence of the moment (past or present).

What would the theme song of your artistic journey be, and how does it reflect your story?

The theme of my journey as an artist and human being would be "This Is the Way" by Devendra Banhart. The lyrics explain it well, much better than I can! You have to listen to it to understand.

What are your long-term aspirations as an artist, both personally and professionally?

My biggest aspiration is to be able to continue to paint and have the freedom to experience other materials that may be interesting to apply in my work. Parallel to that, an old dream; to create an international circuit of arts, painting, sculpture, performance, contemporary dance, cinema and contemporary music.

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Guided by the belief that painting is a space to create rather than mirror reality, Valter Lopes resists external expectations in favour of deep authenticity. Whether expressing contemplation, laziness, or the subtle weight of the moment, his practice remains grounded in freedom — both artistic and human. Through a language of open narratives and layered time, Lopes invites viewers to pause, reflect, and return to the essence of being.