Diego de la Rosa

Artist Bio

Diego de la Rosa is a fine artist born in Venezuela that is currently living and working in Toronto. He graduated from OCAD University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Drawing and Painting. His work has been shown in Canada and Venezuela and has been included in the Mercedes Benz Private Collection.

Art Statement

Diego De la Rosa’s work explores the cultural impact of the social crisis in his native country, and relies on symbolism to explore the ideas and sentiments born from this reality. His process involves the collection of found imagery of people and places from Venezuela that are then rearranged into painted narratives full of imaginative elements, such as giants, theatrical atmosphere, and fantastical characters. The source imagery represents the perceived reality, while the painting tactics embody the values and ideas that are employed to create a
reading for these circumstances.

The use of allegory in his paintings provides an artistic translation of social concepts similar to the interpretative approach of an anthropological study. He uses these painted scenarios to illustrate both the cultural notions surrounding the crisis, and critical theories
on frustration, resilience, spatial inhibition and the desire for power, which he employs to analyze the subject at hand. Through his work, De la Rosa creates images that universalize issues of oppression, crime and social struggle, evoking empathy in societies so distant from
his own.