Federico Herrero

Federico Herrero’s formal language relies on the daily observations of the natural growth of the tropical landscape of his Costa Rican homeland, and the interconnected dynamic flow of energy in the urban infrastructure of San Jose. As an heir to the abstract tradition of Latin America, he confidently developed his own personal style. Since the beginning of his creative activity, Herrero often uses public spaces to exhibit his art in order to engage with architectural components. As such, at the heart of the city concrete poles might become a motive in his paintings, or works are hung from trees in his native town. Covering walls and floors, his art expands beyond a single room or a location’s borders. This escape from current rules also applies when he shows his art on canvas in a gallery. The energetic compositions, made of brightly coloured fields of varying sizes, seem to be based on a certain amount of chance. However, upon close inspection, these large-scale works also reveal figures or landscapes that emerge out of the mosaic of geometrical forms. These enclosed worlds are enlivened by fantastical creatures that appear repeatedly in Herrero’s paintings and that reflect the vitality of his native culture.