Raya Simpao (b. 2003) is a Filipina artist, born and raised in Manila, now completing her BFA at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her painting practice stems from the constant effort that is the act of seeing and orienting. Most formal decisions within the work exist in a space between naturalistic and synthetic, often pushing the boundary between the two. Raya’s figures are almost always in the act of naming an other, an entity outside of the self, either identifying with or distinguishing from. She is concerned about what is within the frame just as much as what is not. She is deeply curious about commonalities and differences, where things meet, and where they end. 

Sensitivity is a crucial aspect to the work. Embedded in the painting process is a sensitive way of looking and observing. The work is observational in the sense that it is almost hyper-aware and responsive to social and psychological undercurrents within a depicted scene, all of which are drawn from Raya’s immediate surroundings and encounters. Central to the painting is the practice of care. Ultimately she knows that the act of seeing, seeing some more, and seeing again, is a form of labor that must always be driven by an overwhelming amount of care.