Lucila Perini

Your pronouns
She/Her

How do you define your identity? Do you identify with (or advocate for) any marginalized communities?
I definitely identify myself as latina, living in Argentina I feel deeply influenced by the Latin American community both in its immense artistic universe and its historical struggles.
I always try to represent in my work my feminist, environmentalist and anti-racist ideals as they are a fundamental part of my roots

Where is home?
Home is really in my country, with my family and friends. I have a very strong sense of belonging to my city and my loved ones, my plants and my cat Dylan.

Describe your style in one sentence
Bold and fresh illustrations with a strong naturist and feminine feel.

What lights your soul on fire?
The new and different, the work in community and the collective. Projects that have something to say and a positive purpose, an intention. I love to collaborate with passionate people and nourish myself with others. I think illustration is a great medium to connect people who have something to say.

What themes do you enjoy exploring?
The natural world, which is fascinating and infinite, from the morphological study to its more theoretical side. The body and identity are also themes that I have been studying for years, representation and the importance of diversity in everything we consume.

What techniques do you use?
Mostly digital illustration, with a strong exploration of color and its behavior.

How much of yourself and your own story can we see in your work?
All of them! I strongly believe that style is built through self-knowledge, through the references of our life and our journey. In my case my latin roots, my feminist ideals, my relationship with the body and my passion for botany are represented in every illustration and project.

Is there an unmistakable thread in your creative work?
I think I always try to represent the stories from a positive and enthusiastic side. Even when I get very serious or sensitive projects, I try to find a way to make the final feeling convey some relief or hope.

What do you want to be known for?
This is a big question! I feel I still have a long way to go and I try to stay humble with my work and my connections.
If my work could really make a change in the way we relate to nature and our environment, a more present awareness of the importance of our planet and its inhabitants, I think that would be my big goal.

Which projects excite you most?
I tend to be very enthusiastic about all projects! lol. But definitely when there is a story behind it aligned with my ideals or when the approach to the project is really passionate and there is room to try different proposals and explore alternatives is when I enjoy it the most.

What is your dream gig?
I think I can let the universe surprise me! I have many dream goals but I feel that the best one must be the one I haven’t imagined yet.

Where, when and how do you best create?
Creating is very internalized in my personality, I don’t really need a particular state or place. It can be anywhere and at any time, it is important to remain curious and open to situations that can awaken creativity and the desire to create.

How has your style evolved since you started?
It evolved a lot and continues to do so! Each work teaches me the importance not only of the intention and the idea, but above all of the practice and constancy, of the difference that time and dedication make in the work. Each project is another step in the refinement of my style.

What do you find most challenging in your practice or in the industry?
What I find most challenging nowadays is the rhythm and demand generated by social media. I think it is a daily task to understand that good projects take time and the transcendence of a work does not only depend on the number of likes or the frequency of the content.
While it is important to keep updated and social media create a great community that I consider super useful, we are going through a time of great anxiety and immediacy that require an extra effort to stay focused and motivated.

How as being an illustrator changed your life?
Living from what I love and am passionate about is truly a privilege that has allowed me to stay in constant connection with my artistic side and develop a truly unique sensitivity to my surroundings. It is a practice that forces you to be curious, to be attentive to what is happening in the world, to internalize how other cultures live or the problems that afflict other countries. It really is a profession that does not allow you to be indifferent to what happens around you and proposes you to take sides as an artist on the message that we offer to the world.
Devoting myself to illustrating has undoubtedly shaped me as a person.

Name a tool you can’t live without!
I must say my ipad!

Tell us about a project you worked on that was meaningful to you as an artist.
I think it was one of my first jobs as an illustrator, a series of illustrations for Airbnb that accompanied a group of articles written by different women about eating and traveling.
This group of stories curated by the incredible Virgie Tovar taught me very early in my career the importance of taking a stand as an illustrator. I had been studying the subject of the body, body positivity and diversity in my illustrations for a long time and when they contacted me it really was the perfect match between the whole team. It was a very fun and important process in my career, which brought me new projects and many people to admire.

What influences or inspires your art?
The natural world without a doubt, not only because of its shapes and colors but also because of its behavior, its decision-making strategies, and its subtle intelligence.
Also art, especially Latin American and women’s art. Her history and trajectory in a mainly masculine world. And not only visual art, but theater and music with their compositions and improvisation.

What would you tell your younger self?
I would tell little Lucila to trust fully in her desire and drive to be an artist, which is the most important tool to consolidate a career and the constant motivation that will guide her achievements.

Why do you think art speaks louder than words?
In my life, art is like oxygen, it really is essential to keep me alive and vital.
Art is a great container of symbols, stories and poetry, it is a superior language and often difficult to define or explain, because it crosses people on many levels. Even levels that the artist cannot imagine. It has a power that once created can generate changes within a person, through an image or perhaps a climate, a color, a detail.
I think we connect with art in a very primary and emotional way, which makes us immediately connect with certain messages.