Melissa Arostegui
Melissa Arostegui is a Chicago-based visual artist whose work centers on figurative painting and still life, with a focus on storytelling, human connection, and everyday experience. Her practice explores how people are seen and understood, using clear composition and accessible imagery to invite reflection and empathy.
Arostegui earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she developed a visual language informed by contemporary figurative traditions. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout Chicago and the United States, and has appeared in both gallery and public art contexts.
I’m a narrative painter inspired by lived experiences—my own and those of others. I photograph scenes that capture my attention and later translate them into paintings, preserving the personality, emotion, and story within each moment. My work is shaped by the environments I move through and the experiences people carry with them. Rooted in observation and memory, my paintings reflect encounters, fleeting gestures, and quiet expressions that often go unnoticed. Each piece functions as part of a visual diary, documenting meaningful moments in time. I am drawn to the hidden narratives embedded in everyday life. Through these images, I explore shared human experiences and the humanity that connects us.
Education
2003 Master of Arts in Teaching, Concordia University, River Forest, IL
1998 Bachelor of Fine Arts, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Beyond the Surface: Assumptions Unveiled, Air Studio & Gallery, Glencoe, IL
1999 A Place She Calls Her Own, Mission Gallery, Elgin, IL
Two-Person Exhibition
2006 Between the Two of Us (two-person show), d/vision, Chicago, IL
Three-Person Exhibition
2025 Unleashed Conscious, Fulton Street Collective, Chicago, IL
Selected Group Exhibitions
2026 Our Kind of Town, Vjosa Gallery, Chicago, IL
2026 Women Painting Women, Grove Gallery, Evanston, IL
2026 Pictures of You, Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, IL
2025 Fresh Terrain, Chicago Fine Art Salon, Chicago, IL
2025 Annual Group Show Art Exhibit, NVision Gallery, Niles, IL
2025 The Art of Being: Loud, Proud, Alive, Gallery 1701, Chicago, IL
2025 Portraits With Impact, Grove Gallery, Evanston, IL
2025 Landscape Show, Fulton Street Collective, Chicago, IL
2025 Collective Narratives: Artists, Influences & Inspirations From Around the City, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL
2025 Power in Practice: Celebrating Women Artists in Chicago, Fulton Street Collective, Chicago, IL
2025 BFF Modern Portraits, Palm Beach Art & Design Showroom, Lake Worth, FL
2024 Dear Jazz, Fulton Street Collective, Chicago, IL
2023 Chromatic Convergence, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL
2023 Vitality, West Chicago Cultural Arts, West Chicago, IL
2019 Evolve.Women.Wisdom, Long Hall Gallery, West Hollywood, CA
2019 Refreshing Feminism, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2018 In Our Family, The Compassion Factory, Brookfield, IL
2014 My Girl, It’s All About Things Gallery, Port Chester, NY
2014 Beginnings, Oak Park Art League, Oak Park, IL
2007 Chicago Art Open, Iron Studios, Chicago, IL
2007 8 X 8, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL
2005 Prisons of Your Own Devices, The Art House, Oak Park, IL
2005 Bare Walls, The School of the Art Institute, Chicago, IL
2000 1st Annual Art Exhibit, Lemon Street Gallery, Kenosha, WI
1999 Landscape Show, Oak Park Art League, Oak Park, IL
Publications
Create! Magazine, Issue #45, August 2024
Art & Beyond Magazine, Volume 58, March 2019
Corporate Collections
The Children’s Center of Cicero/Berwyn, 7022 Riverside Drive, Berwyn, IL