Journeys of Contemporary Art: A Bridge between Spain, Mexico, Colombia, and Chicago
This international exhibition brings together a carefully curated selection of works by artists whose creative voices are influenced by their roots in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, and Chicago. A Journey Through Contemporary Art offers an exploration of memory, culture, and identity, presented through a dynamic variety of media—from painting and sculpture to drawing, printmaking, and street art.
Eduardo Alvarado (Spain) Alvarado’s paintings are delicate vignettes that capture intimate, fleeting moments through portraiture and figurative study. His refined technique and serene aesthetic invite quiet contemplation.
Felipe Alfaro (Guadalajara, Mexico) Alfaro’s paintings blur the line between drawing and painting. With energetic brushwork and contemporary illustrative compositions, his work explores themes of identity and gesture.
Adrián Barquero (Bogotá, Colombia) A BFA student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Barquero is a master of drawing. His early training informs bold narrative compositions that push the boundaries of figuration into abstraction, rich with personal and cultural meaning.
Jesús Curiá (Madrid, Spain) Curiá’s sculptures represent the best of contemporary European sculpture. From his studio in Madrid, he blends traditional figuration with modern innovation, creating works that feel at once ancient, contemporary, and futuristic.
Juan Carlos Macías (Guadalajara, Mexico) Macías lived in Chicago in the early 2000s, receiving fellowships from the Illinois Arts Council and The Harpo Foundation. His work, including Santos y milagros de todos los días, mixes sacred iconography with everyday life and can be seen in public spaces like the Irving Park station on Chicago’s Brown Line (CTA).
Esteban La Rotta Medina (Bogotá, Colombia) A recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, La Rotta’s paintings explore domestic life and familial relationships with emotional depth and poetic sensitivity.
René Monzón Relova “Pozas” (Cuba) A self-taught artist initially trained as an engineer, Pozas paints dreamlike, surreal worlds from his studio in Madrid. His imagination and technical precision give rise to deeply personal and visually striking works.
Keiko Ogawa (Barcelona, Spain) Ogawa paints the oldest and quietest neighborhoods of cities, capturing their timeless essence with elegance and nostalgia. Her work conveys a poetic sensibility that complements the urban perspectives of her husband, Albert Vidal.
Shuta Reulas (Guadalajara, Mexico) Reulas’ work offers a nuanced reflection on Mexican culture, identity, and contemporary expression. His pieces are rich with symbolism and a refined visual language rooted in place and memory.
Marcos Raya (Guanajuato, Mexico) A key figure in Chicago’s art scene since the 1960s, Raya merges Mexican folklore, Catholic imagery, and Chicano culture with social critique and technology. His work is part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and the National Museum of Mexican Art.
Albert Vidal (Barcelona, Spain) Deeply inspired by travel and the geometry of urban architecture, Vidal’s paintings blend realism with abstraction. Working just steps from the Sagrada Familia with his partner, Keiko Ogawa, he captures the rhythm of urban life with an expressive hand.
Jesús Villalpando “Feng Chuy” (Guadalajara, Mexico) Internationally recognized for his street art, Villalpando brings raw energy and cultural commentary to public spaces, enriching urban landscapes with his distinctive visual voice.