Interview
Juliana Borgiani Geiger
Juliana T. Borgiani Geiger is a native Brazilian who emigrated to the United States in 2000. She is an amateur artist since she was a child, she now pursues art to help in her long COVID battle. Juliana is also an animal advocate that uses art to protest against the injustices they suffer. Her style is abstract realistic and very colorful. She works mostly with acrylics or watercolor.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil I graduated with a degree in Veterinary Sciences. Although I did not pursue that profession in my adult life, I have always had a love for animals. I moved to the USA in 2000, got an MBA degree and had a career in finance. But my health forced me to leave my high-stress job and the love for art filled that void. I’m an animal and environment advocate, my art shows how our actions are impacting our planet. I also like to create custom art, especially animal portraits.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“My art displays animals that are struggling to survive like me. I try to show how animals’, whether in herds or alone, main challenge is to share this planet with humans. I have been working on an art collection that is politically motivated, called ‘SOS Earth.’ I'm trying to show how our seven deadly sins are destroying our planet and we must change before it's to late.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“Generally, I have an idea in advance and set out to capture the idea in my art. Naturally, as my work progresses, I will improvise as the need arises.”
“Art has helped me survive the long COVID nightmare.”
Are there any art world trends are you following?
“At the moment my interest is in nature-inspired art with a mix of realism and abstract, also Artivism mostly because of my concern with the environment.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“I have experimented with watercolor on paper and have had some success, but I prefer acrylic on canvas, which allows me to express my art in vibrant colors. My technique is to sketch and paint the object first, then finish the background last, which gives the paintings a 3-D effect.”
What does your art mean to you?
“‘Tudo,’ which is Portuguese for ‘everything.’ Art has helped me survive the long COVID nightmare. I have been ill since 2020 and I am still battling this horrific disease. In my darkest moments of pain, art has magically allowed me to focus on creativity, which has been stronger than any medicine.”
What’s your favourite artwork and why?
“My favorite artist is Frida Kahlo because of the pain she showed in her work. One painting in particular is her Self-Portrait with Bonito because it reflected her deep sadness she felt after losing her father who she was very close with. My father used to be a doctor, since 2020 I wanted him to take care of me like he used to when I was a kid. But we got sick together and I felt just as sad and unprotected as Frida.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Yes, I was selected to show about twenty (20) of my paintings in the lobby of Spaulding Rehab Hospital in Boston and Cambridge, MA, from September 2023 to January 2024. I had gone to this hospital for treatment and they learned of my art work and my COVID ordeal. My art touched the hearts of many doctors and patients that crossed the hallways of the hospital. I was able to show that living with a chronic illness is not stop living, that we adapt to our new life and learn to thrive in our wounded body.”
