Between Light and Darkness: The Expressive Worlds of Matias Roffe

Argentine visual artist Matías Roffé invites us into a world where emotion and instinct merge, where the boundaries between Expressionism and Surrealism dissolve into something deeply personal. Born and based in Buenos Aires, Roffé’s journey from studying physics to embracing art full-time reveals a lifelong fascination with both science and the mysteries of the human psyche. His works, marked by raw emotion, dark humor, and symbolic depth, explore the tension between beauty and deformity, chaos and emptiness. Through bold lines and empty white spaces, his characters seem to exist in a psychological landscape of their own—both fragile and defiant. In this interview with Squint Magazine, Roffé opens up about his creative process, his influences, and the role of art in contemporary society. We thank Matías for sharing his thoughts and artistic vision with us, offering a glimpse into a universe where darkness meets light, and sincerity takes form through distortion.

Thank you for accepting our interview, Matías. Could you tell us a little about yourself and where you come from?

It's a pleasure for me that such an important artistic space as Squint Magazine is interested in my work. My name is Matías Roffé. I am an Argentine visual artist born in Buenos Aires, the country's

capital, where I have lived my entire life.

I have a university degree in physics and have been fascinated with art since I was a child, a passion I inherited from my father, whose extensive library was an invaluable source of knowledge for me. My training as an artist was largely self-taught.

In 2008, I had the opportunity to show my work to Luis Felipe Noé, one of the most important artists in my country. He and Eduardo Stupia, another very important artist, were in charge of a curatorial project called "La Línea Piensa" at the Borges Cultural Center. I was invited to hold my first solo exhibition, titled "Chars," in 2009. Years later, in 2013, I participated in a group exhibition called "Celebration" to commemorate the tenth anniversary of that project. Subsequently, I was selected to be included in the book "Contemporary Drawing in Argentina," a space where curators brought together the most relevant artists in the country's artistic world.

Since beginning my professional career, I have held solo and group exhibitions in art galleries, cultural centers, and museums in Argentina. I also work as an illustrator for magazines, newspapers (both physical and virtual), websites, and book covers. I show and sell my work through my social media and the contacts I have made at the galleries where I have exhibited my work.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

Art and science have always been my main interests. However, in my fourth year of university, I decided to drop out of my physics degree to dedicate myself fully to art. If I had to choose one moment, it would be that moment.

How would you describe your style to someone who has never seen your work?

My style is composed of different aspects. I consider my works to have a great expressive charge and the drama characteristic of Expressionism. The execution method is closely linked to the automatic development of Surrealism, with almost no participation of reason in the creative process. I place great importance on empty space and the color white, which act as a counterweight to the expressive charge of the characters. This duality—black and white, beauty and deformity, overwhelm and emptiness—runs throughout my work. In my works, I deprive my creations of a context or setting, exposing them to light and the void of white, almost as if exorcising them.

The last piece I could say shapes my style is the satirical side; dark humor and the ridiculous are very present in my work.

Do you have a favorite place or environment to create your art?

My favorite place to create is my studio, preferably at night, alone, and with music playing.

Has any artist or movement influenced your approach?

The artist who has influenced me the most is Goya. I also really like Käthe Kollwitz, Romero Ressendi, Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach, Alfred Kubin, Rembrandt, Gustave Doré, and artists of Post-Impressionism and German Expressionism.

What draws you to depicting characters in an abstract rather than a realistic way?

I feel a natural resistance to depicting characters with realistic and symmetrical proportions;I find it boring and uncomfortable. My preferred form of expression is the fusion of visual elements characteristic of Surrealism with the expressive power of Expressionism. The result is a distorted and plastic drama, always with a dose of humor and satire.

Do your characters represent specific people or emotions, or are they purely symbolic?

Many of my characters emerge intuitively and unconsciously, with the line as a guide. Thus, I create a very distinct symbolic world that coexists inseparably with the emotional aspect. The symbol becomes the "rational" means of communication for my emotions, a knowledge that emerges from the unconscious.

Do you sketch your characters first, or do they emerge spontaneously on paper?

I don't sketch. Most of my works emerge in the moment, without a prior plan. Others do have an initial idea. My works are amoral; I try to make them as sincere as possible, without filters. I seek

to recreate situations where strangeness and discomfort reign and there is no harmony between the characters or their surroundings.

Do you consider your art to tell stories or evoke moods and ideas?

Every work tells a story, even those that don't intend to. The way I create them always captures my mood in them, and my deepest ideas are symbolically imprinted in my work.

How would you define "Dark Art," and do you see any connection between this style and your own art?

That's not my quest. The entities I create have a strong expressive charge close to what would be defined as "dark art," but my work has a very different objective. The expressive harshness and darkness of my characters are attenuated and compensated by the plastic elegance that I seek, beyond their deformity.

I seek a unity between the deformed and the plastic. The darkness of the characters is exposed to the light of the blank page that surrounds them. By depriving them of a related context, a darkness that protects them, I decontextualize them, which generates new interpretations.

Do you think surrealism and expressionism have lost popularity today?

I don't think so. Rather, they have become countercultural. We could say that Expressionism and Surrealism have lost their hegemony in elite art spaces, but they haven't lost their popularity with the public. In fact, their relevance lies precisely in their ability to be a counterweight, an art form that returns the human element and raw emotion to the viewer, something that other movements generally don't aim for.

Do you think an artist should adapt to society or remain independent?

We all must adapt to society, whether we like it or not. However, artists move on the edges, a little outside and a little inside. It's an easier perspective to gain for someone who has often felt

alienated from their surroundings and can see things from the outside while being on the inside.

Are there advantages or disadvantages for your art in living in your region?

Unfortunately, in the region where I live, art is not as widespread as it is in Europe or the United States. Despite this, Argentina is probably the most important cultural hub in South America, with a wide variety of museums, cultural centers, galleries, theaters, and bookstores. In that sense, Buenos Aires has a huge cultural offering of all kinds.

What do you think are the main challenges of being an artist in our time?

The biggest challenge is getting your work known. Once you achieve exposure, everything becomes easier and many doors open for you, but it's difficult to reach that privileged position, and few achieve it at least in Latin America.

We know you're also interested in digital art. Do you think digitalization has improved art?

I don't think it has; for me, artisanal work will always surpass digital art. But it can't be denied that it's a very useful tool for artists, and if you don't use it, you're left out of the system, whether you like it or not.

Besides your own art, what other areas of art interest you? Could you give us some examples?

Music is an immersive art that greatly aids the creative process. While I work, I listen to artists like The Residents, Suicide, Joy Division, Johnny Cash, Lou Reed, Spinetta, and Psychic TV; their music has a direct influence on my work. I also really like film, but I enjoy those arts more as a spectator than as a practitioner.

If you had to describe your art in one sentence, what would you say?

It is the void where what doesn't want to be seen, what doesn't want to be exposed to light, is subjected to exposure.

Matías Roffé’s art reminds us that sincerity in creation often lies beyond perfection — in the strange, the raw, and the unfiltered emotions that surface from the unconscious. His fearless exploration of human complexity and his ability to merge intensity with elegance make his work both unsettling and profoundly beautiful. As he continues to shape his distinct visual language, we are certain his art will keep resonating with those who seek authenticity and depth in a world often dominated by superficiality. Squint Magazine wishes Matías continued inspiration and success in his artistic journey — may his lines, shadows, and silences keep speaking to audiences around the world.