Esteban Peña
Bogotá, Colombia (b. 1979).
Esteban Peña's art spans drawing, painting, sculpture and video and makes us look twice at everything that he creates. Whether it's a colourful painting of a wildflower painted as an insect would see it, or a portrait of an animal that draws humorous comparisons with behavioural conventions in the human realm, Esteban's art always carries a deeper meaning. His ability for astute social and scientific commentary is most famously centred on the appropriation of images in popular culture and the science behind visual perception and colour.
Esteban Peña's paintings from his You Animal! series present us with tongue-in-cheek comparisons of the human and animal worlds. Combining his quirky sense of humour and his fascination with the natural world, Peña draws some eye-opening parallels between human and animal behaviours and traits.
Esteban Peña's Fluorescent Flowers paintings show us British wildflowers as insects would see them, with eyes sensitive to ultraviolet and infrared light. This new way of seeing reveals brilliant specks of nectar and pollen scattered across their petals and leaves, calling insects towards them to feast on the nectar and carry the pollen away with them. Exclusive to Studio Parga, these art prints reveal a vital part of our planet's ecosystem otherwise invisible to the naked eye.
