I was born in Lima, Peru, near the beach, in a neighborhood called Magdalena del Mar. It was summer, March 9, 1978.
MAGAZINE · INTERVIEW
Rafael Freyre
Rafael Freyre is a Peruvian architect, artist, and designer whose multidisciplinary practice explores the convergence of architecture, art, and spatial storytelling. Educated at Ricardo Palma University in Lima before completing a Master of Fine Arts through Plymouth University and the Piet Zwart Institute, his work is informed by research into migration, mobility, and the cultural narratives embedded within space. Today, he leads RF Studio, where architecture and art are developed as complementary forms of expression.
Working across architecture, interiors, exhibitions, and artistic installations, Freyre creates projects that balance conceptual depth with material sensitivity. Drawing on experience spanning Europe, the United States, and Latin America—including collaborations with Massimo Fuksas and theater director Robert Wilson—his practice investigates the relationship between place, movement, and human experience, resulting in environments that merge artistic vision with architectural precision.
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Interview
Where were you born and where are you from?
What is your first memory connected to the art world?
Since childhood, I felt a strong connection with the sea, animals, and plants. However, my true artistic awakening came at 13 when I discovered theater. Acting for the first time was my introduction to the world of art.
Have you always worked in the art/design field?
I started as an actor but soon realized the need to design stages, props, objects, and costumes for theatrical productions. This led me to study architecture to develop those skills. At 20, while in New York, I met theater director Robert Wilson—an inspiring figure who was both a designer and an actor.
What led you to design creation?
Acting is about inhabiting the present, experiencing the moment fully without anticipation or fear. This perspective shaped my approach to design—I aim to create experiences, actions, and rituals for the body and senses rather than just objects or spaces.
How would you describe your creative process and its influences?
My creative process flows like a river, always leading me to new places. I remain open, intuitive, and unafraid of the unknown. Nature is my greatest influence—being outdoors, especially at sea, allows for unexpected encounters that inspire my work.
Could you describe a typical day of your work?
7:00 AM– Wake up, meditate, and practice yoga for 30 minutes.
Morning– Surfing or spending time in open nature.
9:30 AM– Matcha or Peruvian herbal tea, cacao (I’m addicted to pure chocolate).
Work– I head to my studio or begin sketching, writing, or problem-solving for ongoing projects. Delegating tasks now gives me more time to focus on new ideas.
Evening– I enjoy social time, visiting theater performances, art exhibitions, or dancing and music events.
Lifestyle – I travel often, embracing a nomadic way of living, always open to new cultures and influences.
Why did you choose the specific materials you work with?
Natural materials stimulate my senses and imagination. Growing up in Latin America, near the Equator, I was surrounded by incredible biodiversity—plants, animals, landscapes. I seek that same richness in the materials I use.
What are the technical particularities of your creations?
I develop techniques that challenge traditional beauty by using waste materials, organic elements, raw textures, and ancient pre-industrial methods. Handmade processes allow each piece to have variation and uniqueness.
What advice could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works?
Follow your instincts, intuition, and emotions—without fear.
If your works had to belong to a design movement, how would you define it?
Perhaps Land Art, as I work with performance, natural materials, and landscapes.
Is there anything you would like to add?
Creation is a collective act—I am grateful to my team.
What designers and artists have influenced you?
My biggest influences come from my personal experiences rather than the design world itself: Pre-Columbian architecture, Traditional fiber artisans who craft boats on the coast, Archaeological textiles and ceramics from Peru, Amazonian wildlife.
Artists who inspire me: Francesca Woodman (photography), Robert Wilson (theater), Isamu Noguchi (sculpture), Marlon Brando (acting), Maya Deren (video art), Hélio Oiticica (visual art).
What contemporary designers do you appreciate?
Lately, I find more inspiration in music: Hermanos Gutiérrez, Khruangbin, Beach House, Alice Phoebe Lou, Cigarettes After Sex. Music creates immersive sensory experiences—something I strive for in design.
What contemporary artists, in any kind of art, have you been inspired by?
Actors – Marlon Brando, Monica Vitti, Jeanne Moreau, Balinese dancers, shadow puppet performers, Filmmakers – Michelangelo Antonioni, Jim Jarmusch, Carlos Reygadas, Artists – Ana Mendieta, Maya Deren, Leonor Antúnez, Photographers – Sally Mann, Francesca Woodman, Robert Frank, Martín Chambi, Architects – Vladimir Ossipoff, Richard Neutra, Carla Juaçaba, Fashion Designers – Hedi Slimane, Jil Sander, Raf Simons.
If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be?
Actor, playing roles.
“Nature is my greatest influence—being outdoors, especially at sea, allows for unexpected encounters that inspire my work.”
The Questionnaire
The Questions
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Surfing on a summer day with friends and love.
What is your greatest fear?
Almost none, since I meditate.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I try not to judge myself.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
I try not to judge others.
Which living person do you most admire?
I prefer animals—I admire them.
What is your greatest extravagance?
I love being naked.
What is your current state of mind?
Living in the moment, no plans.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Being rational.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Resilience—falling and rising again.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Intuition and emotional depth.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Find the way, do it.”
Which talent would you most like to have?
Playing music.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Nothing—I embrace imperfection.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Continuing to explore.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Whatever the universe decides.
Where would you most like to live?
By the sea—Lobitos Beach, Bali.
What is your most treasured possession?
My home and my rituals.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Not living in the present.
What is your favorite occupation?
Surfing, acting, drawing, gardening.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Curiosity.
What do you most value in your friends?
Sincerity.
Who are your favorite writers?
Luis Hernández, Edouard Glissant, Gilles Deleuze, María Emilia Cornejo.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Alice in Wonderland, Tarzan & Jane.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Túpac Yupanqui, the Inca traveler.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Explorers, travelers, adventurers.
What are your favorite names?
Dafne, Adriano, Ulises, Ariadna, Penélope, Marina, Calipso, Moana.
What is it that you most dislike?
Closed spaces.
What is your greatest regret?
–
How would you like to die?
In open nature.
What is your motto?
Enjoy the journey.
“My creative process flows like a river, always leading me to new places.”
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