Daniel Arteaga

Biography

Daniel Arteaga (B. 1993) in Cali, Colombia, now based in London is a painter who, seeks to break down the barriers between formal and conceptual art by bending techniques to create a visual language in which iconography, forms, and colors are highly recognizable and refer to life and memory. The relationship between art history, philosophy, and contemporary art movements has inspired him to explore ways to approach his practice, prompting reflections on nature as well as artistic purpose in a contemporary context.

'The illusion that which appears to be present, but which hides at the edge of the visible. The interest that surrounds and inhabits the interstices of the apparent, that membrane that connects the speculative with the remembered. Memory, as a conductor and narrator of what could be, becomes a tool to bring us closer to what is possible, to what has been confined in the narratives of what has already happened.
We constantly ask ourselves: from what position do we observe the world? Are we mere spectators, trapped in passive contemplation, or are we active creators of meaning? These questions emerge from the interplay between objects, their context, and our perception. The light, the proximity of the elements, and the imagination of the experiencer transform the environment into a catalyst for new possibilities. In this process, the context ceases to be a simple frame and becomes an experience, a co-creation between space, language, and subjectivity.
Painting, as a container of meaning, is also an extension of the gaze: how do we see and inhabit spaces, how fast do we observe them and how much time do we spend pausing in them? However, we do not believe that to inhabit is to stay. To inhabit implies movement, a constant flux, an engagement with the esoteric and the magical that arises in translation. In this movement lies the desire to connect the last with the first, to observe beginnings and endings simultaneously. It is in the flow, in the insinuation of what could be, and in the tension between memory and the speculative, where the images find their essence.'

Education

MA, Royal College of Art, 2024-2025

BA, Laguna College of Art and Design, 2018