Johnny López is a Colombian contemporary artist whose practice operates at the intersection of ancestral memory, pre-Columbian symbolism, and contemporary visual languages. Working across sculpture, painting, and mixed media, his work proposes a critical re-reading of ancestral cultures from a contemporary perspective, articulating a distinct symbolic vocabulary that engages archaeology, cosmology, and current visual culture.

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Originally trained in business and administration, López made a decisive shift toward the arts following a transformative experience at the Louvre Museum, where direct contact with historical masterpieces marked the beginning of his artistic path. He later pursued formal studies in fine arts between Barcelona and Florence, earning a degree in Fine Arts and developing a solid technical and conceptual foundation. During this period, he worked as an official copyist at the Louvre, an experience that deepened his understanding of artistic craft, art history, and classical processes—elements he now reinterprets through a contemporary lens.

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Johnny López’s work is characterized by an ongoing investigation into ancestral cultures—particularly pre-Columbian civilizations—and their re-signification in the present. Through a hybrid symbolic language, his works establish bridges between the archaic and the contemporary, questioning notions of identity, collective memory, and cultural continuity in a globalized world. His sculptures and pictorial works function as contemporary artifacts: objects that evoke ancient civilizations while simultaneously engaging with present-day visual codes.

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In recent years, López’s work has gained significant international visibility. He has participated in major art fairs and exhibitions such as LA Art Show, where he presented sculptural works within the Latin American Pavilion, and has taken part in institutional exhibitions and curatorial projects of global scope. His work has also been featured in high-profile European contexts, including Personal Structures in Venice, presented in parallel with the Venice Biennale, further consolidating his presence within the international contemporary art circuit.

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In 2025, Johnny López completed a permanent sculptural installation at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, one of Latin America’s most important cultural and transit hubs. This public art project marked a significant milestone in his career, situating his artistic language within a space of mass circulation and intercultural exchange, and reaffirming his interest in expanding contemporary art beyond traditional exhibition venues.

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His work has been reviewed and featured by leading national and international media, including The New York Times, Hyperallergic, The Los Angeles Post, El Espectador, El Tiempo, among others, underscoring the relevance and consistency of his artistic practice within the contemporary art landscape.

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Johnny López lives and works between Bogotá and various cities within the international art circuit, maintaining an active practice that combines conceptual research, artistic production, and participation in exhibitions and international art fairs. His work is held in private collections and continues to establish itself as a solid and distinctive contribution to contemporary Latin American art, articulated through a unique symbolic language that bridges past, present, and future.​

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INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTIONS

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El Dorado International Airport.

Pereira Art Museum.

Colombian Olympic Comittee.

Secretary of Culture, Tourism and Sport, San Agustín - Huila.
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