Groundbreaking, Influential Artists From Latin America Everyone Should Know

Latin American art is a product of many races and nations – Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America – that intermingled and influenced our cultural heritage, which can be viewed through its artistic manifestations. Colors and shapes are the primary elements for appreciating art, and it can be an enriching experience. Unlike the United States, which has indulged the ideologies of isolationism and nativism, Latin American countries have never had the luxury of entertaining a sense of nationhood. The search for affirmation is a unique battlefield for its artists, especially in the 20^th century. 

Over the course of time, Latin America experienced cultural and political change that gave rise to independence movements and social upheavals. Visual arts mirror the alteration of mechanisms within the social structure. Through influenced by Europe and the United States, local artists have retained many aspects of indigenous traditions, refusing to alter the authenticity of their origins or corrupt their ancestral roots. Naturally, when evaluating the canon of the last decades, there are notable omissions, so the list below isn’t definitive, nor is it comprehensive. Stick until the end to know which Latin American artists are shaping contemporary art. 

Juliana Borinski

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Juliana Borinski has been living and working in Paris, France, since 2010, where great artists master their craft and create their finest works. She graduated from the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne in 2007, where she studied Matthias Müller, Valie Export, Jürgen Klauke, and Siegfried Zielinski, Juliana Borinski works with still imagery (photography), often without the camera, and moving imagery (film, installation, video), describing and interpreting the visual representations and their meaning. She focuses on chemistry, matter, and devices. In her most recent work, In the Sour of Film, the artist further explores the integration of different production modes. The idea is to penetrate within the film. 

Antonio De Campos 

Educated as an architect and filmmaker, the artist, architect, and digital image-maker designed and executed works of art for Zara Hadid, who was acknowledged as a key figure in the architecture of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Antonio de Campos spent many years behind the scenes, so he’s known to a few people. The artist has lived in Frankfurt, Germany, since 2020. Antonio de Campos was born in Brazil in 1961, having resided in Malaysia and Berlin, but for the better part of his career, he would regularly visit London, where he served as the chief digital draftsman for 13 years. Years after Hadid’s death, he finally has the chance to register what he’s done. 

Antonio de Campos’ prints and paintings often stem from architecture schemes, making a discreet foray into the nature of perception, optical illusion, and uncertainty. The outcome is a work of great creativity in which more than one medium or material has been employed. On the open internet, you can choose from a vast assortment of fine art prints for sale. Momentum is key. You’re welcome to explore buying opportunities whenever you want, but waiting until you acquire practical experience or become more comfortable around art is advisable. The Brazilian artist’s work is now the subject of an ongoing exhibition at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum (DAM), and it consists of complex collages of prints, foils, and spray techniques. 

Leonardo Vargas

Leonardo Vargas is a painter who has lived in Strasbourg, France, since 2016. Earning a degree in history and the theory of modern and contemporary art, he continued his academic studies at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht in the Netherlands, getting a master’s degree in fine arts. The work of Leonardo Vargas concentrates on the art of transformation that painting is better equipped to create. The transformation can be subtle or completely unexpected but not surprising. The artist finds inspiration in images from various sources, including but not limited to old masters (or great artists), photographic archives, fashion magazines, and advertising. 

Elizabeth Roman 

Having lived through a dictatorship, Elizabeth Roman tests life’s boundaries and limits, growing up as a free-spirited person. The artist was born and raised in Peru, which suffered Fujimori’s undemocratic rule and is renowned for its crimes that set precedents worldwide, such as the sentences brought by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the La Cantuta and Barrios Altos cases. Elizabeth Roman is a self-taught painter who found her first influence in the Mexican Muralist movement and its artistic, political, and social expression. Let’s not forget about the color techniques made accessible by the Pop Art movement. 

You have to look at Elizabeth Roman’s work in a socially controversial and provocative context, with a commitment to social and political messaging. Although her style changes and grows with every piece of art she makes, Elizabeth Roman positions herself far from the theories of art and academic discourse, inspired by the world of the street and urban culture. She’s inspired by plastic production, which bears a strong critical component, proposing works that allow us to gain a deeper understanding of society’s dynamics. American Dream illustrates the migratory caravan that left Honduras for the United States. 

Andrés Felipe Castaño

Last but certainly not least, Andrés Felipe Castaño lives and works between Mexico City and Cordoba, Argentina, exhibiting in places like the Santa Fe Gallery in Colombia or the National Museum of Fine Arts in Neuquén, Argentina. The artist brings into discussion the ways in which we’ve built and learned about art. The images that make up Roseta can be found in the sweeping, obscure art history classes, where knowledge was projected through slides, and the connection between scale, color, and edges wasn’t sufficiently studied. On the other hand, Andrés Felipe Castaño also blurs the boundaries between the arts and illicit activities. 

Concluding Thoughts 

Ultimately, Latin American art has immense importance for the history of the art world owing to its aesthetic originality and its ability to serve as a catalyst for hard conversations. Artists challenge us to think critically and embrace new ideas. Their works aren’t constrained by any rules or guidelines. The ease and transparency of buying art online have led to an expansion of people wanting to collect contemporary art, and you have good reason to follow the crowd.

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