Rocha’s champion, gallerist Sofie Van de Velde, was first drawn to her work through Instagram, later meeting Rocha at openings, where, as she recalls, “a certain unspoken connection seemed to emerge.” What holds her attention is the atmosphere Rocha creates on the canvas. “Her work creates a space where beauty and vulnerability coexist, without forcing a narrative, yet leaving a lasting impression,” Van de Velde tells The Wick. She also points to the artist’s “quiet strength”, adding that the paintings “invite you in gently, but reveal its layers the longer you stay with it.”

This slow reveal is part of what makes the work so persuasive. Van de Velde describes the decision to collaborate on The Wunderwall as something that “came very naturally,” saying it felt like “the right moment to bring her work into our context, one that values intuition, but also gives space for deeper engagement over time.” She adds that, the longer she works as a gallerist, the more she values “this kind of mutual recognition,” where “a shared enthusiasm between artist and gallery often forms the foundation for a meaningful and lasting collaboration.”

Rocha’s own measure of achievement is similarly grounded. Rather than naming a single exhibition or award, she points to the fact of sustaining herself through art, and to the way painting has transformed her life “not only materially, but on a deeply personal and existential level.” It is an answer entirely in keeping with the work itself, subtle and thoughtful; and profound in what it contains.

Rocha is currently showing as part of The Wunderwall Enlarged, a group exhibition at Gallery Sofie Van de Velde. As her practice continues to unfold, her portraits remain open and searching. They are less interested in pinning a person down than in staying with the complexity of what a person might hold.