

"True Colors - When The Water Is Boiling"
Pastel | 160x100cm | 2025
A lobster doesn’t show its true color until it’s placed in boiling water. Before that, it wears a muted disguise, a dark shell that conceals what lies beneath. But when the heat rises, when escape is no longer an option, its real hues emerge—vivid, undeniable, inescapable.
People are no different. In the comfort of ordinary life, we wear masks, presenting the versions of ourselves that fit expectations. But when adversity strikes—when the stakes are real and the consequences unavoidable—that’s when the true self rises to the surface. Some reveal resilience, kindness, and strength. Others expose selfishness, fear, or cruelty. The boiling water doesn’t create these traits; it only reveals what was always there.
This idea inspired my latest pastel painting, True Colors – When The Water Is Boiling. A vivid red lobster, caught in a moment of transformation, surrounded by chaos yet unable to hide what it has always been beneath the surface.
Realistic Drawings
This series of small pastel paintings are artworks inspired by the world we live in, from the amazing creations of nature to the mundane objects of the modern world.

In|Square series
Original pastel drawings by André Rios.

"Logout"
The increasing use of social media has sparked a profound shift in human perception, altering the way we perceive ourselves, others, and the world around us.
With the constant exposure to carefully curated images and narratives, individuals have become more prone to comparing themselves to idealized standards and seeking validation through likes and comments. This has given rise to an era of self-consciousness and heightened self-awareness, often leading to feelings of inadequacy and anxiety.
"Logout" is a representation of what implies to escape the digital world.
In a reality where we are becoming increasingly isolated from one another leaving the digital media is like a suicide.
We are expected to be there and keep posting content to let others know that we are alive.
But we are already merged with the digital and a great part of ourselves is not made of cells but pixels.
"Logout" 100x70cm | Pastel | 2023
*This artwork is currently in exhibition in CODA museum in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.
In|Square Collection
2021-2024
About my In|Square series
The art I currently develop within my In|Square series intends to express my personal reflections on our inescapable immersion with technology.
As the digital world expands its dominion, what was once familiar and tangible dissolves, the boundaries between truth and fiction blur, as the line between the real and the simulated becomes increasingly indistinguishable.
The disintegration of the real world, occurring gradually and insidiously, forces us to confront profound questions about the nature of our existence and our relationship with the technological marvels we have created. It impels us to reconsider the significance of tangible experience, the primacy of genuine connections, and the ethical implications of embracing a world detached from the foundations of our humanity.
Within this enigmatic landscape, we are tasked with the formidable challenge of navigating the interplay between the tangible and the digital, seeking harmony in an increasingly fragmented reality.
In these artworks the juxtaposition of hyper-realism and "pixelation" serves as a powerful visual metaphor, underscoring the artificiality and transient nature of our experiences within the digital world.
These artworks invite everyone to question the authenticity and integrity of the world they inhabit, urging them to confront the profound implications of living in a reality where truth itself seems fragmented and elusive.