Renata Rolefes

The artist

Practice and perspective

Renata Rolefes is a painter working in Willemstad, Curaçao. Her subjects grow from the island around her: iguanas, flamingos, hummingbirds, sea turtles, palms and Caribbean women. Strong colour gives these familiar subjects an expressive presence, connecting wildlife and portraiture with the light and visual energy of everyday island life. Her practice includes original paintings and fine-art prints.

Rolefes trained in drawing and crafts in the Netherlands, where she painted realistic portraits and opened a gallery in Ootmarsum. She moved to Curaçao with her family in 2018. The change of setting brought a more vivid palette and a more personal approach to painting. In December of that year she opened a gallery in Punda, followed by a larger Willemstad gallery in December 2023.

Her official exhibition record includes Spectrum Miami in December 2025 and ARTEXPO New York in April 2026, alongside presentations in Barcelona, Cannes and Basel. These international appearances extend a practice grounded in her Curaçao studio. The painting Turtle Love, listed on Artsy in 2025, uses acrylic and varnish on canvas, bringing her interest in Caribbean wildlife into a wide horizontal composition.

2018

Moved to Curaçao and opened a Punda gallery.

2023

Opened a larger gallery in Willemstad.

2025–26

Official exhibition record includes Spectrum Miami and ARTEXPO New York.