Have you made it? Rio Campbell

In the debut episode of Have You Made It?, host UPNORF sits down with Hull-based multidisciplinary artist Rio Cambell, known artistically as Cambo, for a raw and vibrant conversation that’s as honest as her art.

Born in 2001 and raised in Hull’s council estates, Rio’s work pulses with themes of identity, love, and lived experience. “I’m an artist before I’m a barista or an art teacher,” she asserts early in the episode — a testament to her grounded but fierce creative identity. From learning to write invoices after selling her first painting, to now prepping for solo exhibitions and teaching art, Rio’s journey is one of passion, persistence, and proud working-class roots.

We talk about her roots.

Rio doesn’t romanticize her background — she paints it. “I just paint what I like. That’s literally it,” she says. Whether it’s a portrait of her dad and brother in matching jewelry or tales from her teen poetry book sprayed across canvas, her work is a mirror of where she’s from and who she is. “My family understand my art, and they don’t really interact with art. But they feel seen.”

We talk about community and space.

A major theme that threads through our conversation is the power of community. Her studio, a gifted space above a Hull café, Dive, where she works, has been pivotal. “Without that, I wouldn’t be doing anything.” She reflects on the importance of support — from friends who hand over studio keys to teachers who nurtured her creativity when school couldn’t quite contain her fire.

We talk about big art and the barriers around making it.

Rio breaks down the unspoken elitism in art, saying, “Big art is synonymous with money — you need big walls and space to create it.” Her approach? Rollable canvases, house paint, and biking home with giant canvases under her arm in the wind. She tells a story about how the canvases act like wings, pushing her one way and the next as she tries to cycle back to her studio. “I kind of like that — the humiliation of getting it. It’s more sacred.”

We talk about what's next.

From local solo shows to her upcoming move to Berlin, Rio is poised for growth. But she’s clear: “All I want is to paint and earn enough from painting so I can carry on painting — and maybe take my mum and dad on holiday.” She’s got upcoming work in the Humber Street Gallery and the “Devour” group show with the Feminine Edge Collective, plus plans to show her Belcher Chains and Saddle Rings series as a cohesive body of work alongside a film piece.

Rio’s not interested in empty trends. “I don’t like making politically intentional work unless I understand it deeply. I trust that my beliefs are clear enough that they’ll come out in the paint.”

Her pieces are deeply personal, but as she says: “Your art is always for people. If it was just for me, I wouldn’t be sharing it.”

Listen now on Spotify or watch on YouTube — and follow Cambo on Instagram.

“Work hard and dream big."