Bio + Statement

BIO

Alexis Duque is a NYC based artist born in Medellin, Colombia. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Antioquia, Medellin and has exhibited in numerous venues including: El Museo del Barrio, The Heckscher Museum of Art, Praxis International Gallery in NY; Schiltkamp Gallery at Clark University, Worcester, MA; Ogden Contemporary Arts, Ogden, UT; The Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art, Midland, MI; and Galleri Oxholm in Copenhagen, Denmark. Duque’s work has been featured in “Imagine Architecture: Artistic Visions of The Urban Realm” by Gestalten, WhiteHot Magazine, Beautiful Decay and New American Paintings among others.

Statement

My artistic practice explores the relationships between human environments, nature, and the cultural imagery that shapes contemporary life. Through imagination and visual reinterpretation, I transform these elements into surreal narratives that examine the tensions and contradictions of our time. Across different bodies of work, I explore themes of urbanization, displacement, social inequality, consumer culture, and environmental change. My paintings examine the interactions between built spaces and the natural world, from densely constructed urban landscapes and social realities to imagined worlds where architectural forms and nature coexist and collide.

In a recent series, I have developed surreal landscapes inhabited by hybrid beings inspired by flora, fauna, and organic structures. Influenced by animistic ideas, these figures appear as nature spirits and healing presences, exploring connections between the living world and the places they inhabit. My work centers on painting, drawing, and mixed media, creating intricately layered compositions where architecture, human figures, animals, vegetation, and imagined beings form complex visual worlds. These pieces evolve through research, memory, personal photography, and collected imagery. My process begins with observation, photography, and drawing, which serve as ways of generating ideas and constructing images. I build each work on paper or canvas through detailed ink and graphite drawing and layers of acrylic paint, using tonal contrast and color to gradually develop volume, depth, texture, and visual detail.