Arturo Herrera  (Venezuelan, 1959) 

Arturo Herrera (Venezuelan, b.1959) is a visual artist who was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He received his BFA in 1982 from the University of Tulsa, OK, before graduating with an MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1992. He is known for his works that are meant to tap into the viewer's subconscious through the artist’s clever mixing of cartoon characters and abstract shapes; this technique produces half-obscured images intended to evoke memory. Much of his work is open-ended and provocative in nature, often taking innocent images such as Disney-like characters and blending them with sexual and violent themes. These dark themes contrast sharply from the images of innocence the characters represent. His work is a balance between Figurative and Abstract Art, and his inspiration is derived from the human mind and dark psychology. Herrera frequently employs different techniques such as splicing, fragmentation, and re-contextualization that make his work very provocative. His work includes paper works, sculptures, wall paintings, collages, photographs, felt wall hangings, and reliefs. Many of his wall hangings fuse together elements of dance and music. His hangings of tangled felt pinned to the wall, such as Felt #4 / Brown and Felt #12 / Red, are known for their dripped paint appearance.
In 1992, he began exhibiting Flamesart at Gallery 400 in Chicago, as well as Not Working in L.A. in Los Angeles, CA. Throughout the 1990s, Herrera had exhibitions across the world, including the Revolution Gallery in Ferndale, MI, the Randolph Street Gallery in Chicago, IL, and the Zeno X Gallery in Antwerp, Belgium. His work has been highly praised for its combination of elements and ability to evoke memory, and Herrera has been honored by many awards, such as the Deustscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst Fellowship. Recent works by Herrera include #6 BF4, High, Want, Plot , and Untitled. In recent years Herrera has had solo exhibitions around the world in galleries such as the Galeria Fortes Vilaça in São Paulo, Brazil, the Galerie Max Hetzler in Berlin, Germany, the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, NM, the Centre d'Art Contemporain in Geneva, Switzerland, Galeria Helga de Alvear in Madrid, Spain, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions such as Carbonic Anhydride at Galerie Max Hetzler in Berlin in 2006, and Twister at Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT, in 1997. Herrera currently lives and works in both New York City and Berlin.