Rio Drop (b. 1992, the Netherlands) obtained her Bachelor's degree from the Royal Academy of Fine Art The Hague. After graduating in 2022, she relocated to Örebro, Sweden, where she previously received foundational artistic training.
Her work emerges from concept, letting materiality follow after this. As a result, her practice extends over a variety of media, such as sculpture, installation, video, print and performance. Valuing ‘the real’ over representation for its self-referentiality and its ability to connect to lived experience, she incorporates pre-existing objects into her work. It most frequently takes the shape of assemblage. Recent works have focussed on the themes of loss and resilience, reclamation of the body, and expectations placed upon womanhood.
In 2021, she was the first resident of artist collective KonstBunkern’s summer studio programme. The residency culminated in the exhibition skin (textile) body, to which she invited the artist Daria Edström as a collaborator. In addition to her studio practice, Drop teaches art theory at Örebro Art College, with a focus on practical exercises to prepare students to work independently in the field of art.
Previous solo exhibitions include Point of view at Bunkern Gallery, Örebro (2018) and Let Your Hair Down at The Contemporary Garage, Örebro (2017). Her work has been included in exhibitions in Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands and Malta.


Education
2019 - 2022 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague NL
2016 - 2019 Fine Arts Foundation, Örebro Art College, Örebro SE

Solo exhibitions
2026 Detroit Stockholm, Stockholm SE (upcoming April 2026)
2025 Laxå Konsthall, Laxå SE (upcoming fall/winter 2025/2026)
2025 Studio K18, Stockholm SE (upcoming July 2025)
2021 Sommarresident, Paviljong Lux, Örebro SE
2018 Point of view, Bunkern Gallery, Örebro SE
2017 Let your hair down, The Contemporary Garage, Örebro SE

Selected group exhibitions
2026 The Shaky Ambiguity of the World, Kasa Gallery, Istanbul TR (upcoming March 2026)
2025 Cycles, Ideias Emergentes, Guimarães PT (upcoming August 2025)
2024 Vintersalong, Katrineholms Konsthall, Katrineholm SE
2024 Gränsland, Konstfrämjandet Bergslagen, Örebro SE
2023 Samutställning, Haiku Gallery, Örebro SE
2023 Pop-Up Festival, Pop-Up Arts, Copenhagen DK
2022 Vi Iakttar En Tyst Minut, Lindbacka Galleri, Örebro SE
2022 Graduation exhibition, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague NL
2022 (Post)Human Imaginaries, Spaarnestad Photo, The Hague NL
2021 As Is, Where Is, Royal Academy of Art, The Hague NL
2021 skin (textile) body, with Daria Edström, Paviljong Lux, Örebro SE
2021 Review, Trixie, The Hague NL
2019 Things Will Change, TENT, Rotterdam NL
2019 Up and Coming, Örebro Konsthall, Örebro SE
2019 Rio Drop & Charlotte Ostritsch, Galleri Exposé, Örebro SE
2018 Mahalla festival: Generating New Narratives, Diyalog Dernegi, Valletta MT
2018 Svensk Konst Nu!, Nora Art, Nora SE
2018 Slättens Vårsolanche, Galleri Slätten, Malmö SE
Grants
2025 Wadköpingstipendiet (cat. established), Örebro Kommun
2024 Främjandestöd, Region Örebro Län
2023 Arbetsskapande Medel, Konstnärscentrum Mitt
2023 International Grant - Culture, Region Örebro Län
2018 International Grant - Culture, Region Örebro Län
2018 Studio Scholarship, Örebro Art College

Residencies
2025 Magic Carpets, Ideias Emergentes (Magic Carpets), PT (upcoming July 2025)
2024 Danielsgårdens vistelsestipendium, Kulturenheten i Rättvik SE
2021 Summer Studio Residency, KonstBunkern SE

Collections
Örebro Läns Museum

Press
2025 Amanda Roskvist, Interview, Sveriges Radio P4 Örebro, June 2, 2025.
2025 Amanda Roskvist, Interview, Sveriges Radio P4 Örebro, May 27, 2025.
2024 Stefan Nilson, “Rio, Daria och Antonia arbetar i gränslandet”, Nerikes Allehanda, November 10, 2024.
2024 Ulrika Mohlin, “Rio gör konst av riktigt hår”, Nerikes Allehanda, August 24, 2024. 20-21. (EN translation)
2021 Sofia Gustafsson, “Hon får sommarresidens hos Konstbunkern ”Skapar kroppsliknande föremål”,  Nerikes Allehanda, March 3, 2021 (EN translation)
2017 “Konstutställning gjord av hår i hemligt galleri”, Nerikes Allehanda, February 23, 2017. 21. (EN translation)

Professional experience
2025 External jury member for Svensk Form Örebro Län, for the exhibition Glöd
2025 Private artist mentor for Region Örebro Län Bild och Form
2025 Lecture “Vad är konst”, Träffpunkt Vesslan via Sensus
2024 Assistant to stone sculptor Jelena Rundqvist
2024 Board member for Sveriges Konstföreningar
2023 - 2025 Board member for Kultur och Ateljéföreningen F2
2023 - now Lector in art theory, Örebro Konstskola
2022 Guest teacher in artistic methods, Örebro Konstskola