Esther Cuéllar is a Colombian contemporary visual artist born in Bogotá, whose artistic career spans more than three decades. Her practice began in fine arts and ceramics, a medium she worked with extensively from 1990 to 2010. During this period, she developed a strong understanding of materiality, surface, texture, and form—elements that continue to inform her painting practice today. She later transitioned from figurative portraits and landscapes into abstraction, where color became the central language of her artistic expression.
Since 2003, Cuéllar’s work has focused on the exploration of universal and Colombian Indigenous creation myths, identity, and the origins of existence. These investigations began with the series Tales from My Country and evolved into her ongoing body of work, Beyond the Origins: The Creation, developed since 2014. In 2017, she expanded this research with the sub-series A Search Through Color: Myths From My Land, inspired specifically by Colombian creation mythologies. Her paintings investigate cosmological thought, natural phenomena, and the unknown, translating ancestral narratives into a personal abstract language.
Cuéllar’s current work is characterized by an expressive use of color, layered textures, palette knife work, and acrylic pouring techniques. Color functions as the primary narrative force in her compositions, shaping emotion, movement, and meaning. Her abstract paintings invite viewers to reflect on where we come from, our connection to ancestral knowledge, and the timeless relevance of myth in contemporary life.
Her work has been exhibited internationally in solo and group exhibitions across the United States, Canada, and Spain. In the United States, her exhibitions include Montserrat Contemporary Art Gallery in Chelsea, New York; solo exhibitions at the Consulate General of Colombia in New York and Miami; exhibitions at the Consulate General of Colombia in Atlanta; and White’s Art Gallery in Miami. In Canada, her work was exhibited at the Art Gallery of Hamilton in Ontario. In Spain, she participated in Salón Primavera at Galería Espacio 120 in Barcelona. In Colombia, her work has been presented in major cultural institutions, including solo exhibitions at Casa Grau Museum and the Centro Colombo Americano in Bogotá, as well as participation in juried exhibitions such as the Salón del Fuego at the Gilberto Alzate Avendaño Foundation.
Through her sustained investigation of color, abstraction, and mythology, Esther Cuéllar has developed a distinctive visual language that bridges ancient narratives and contemporary abstraction, positioning her work within an international dialogue on identity, creation, and artistic expression.
Colombia
