Diego De La Rosa

Independent

Title: Bochince on Spadina

Dimensions: 11" x 14"

Medium: Oil and acrylic on panel

Value: $2,100

Date: 2024

Courtesy of the Artist

Framed by

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 exhibitions and auctions in Canada, the United States and Venezuela and has been included in the Mercedes Benz Private Collection. In 2021, he was one of the selected artists in the publication “Tomorrow’s Talent" by Booooooom. Alongside his art practice, Diego currently works as an assistant painter for Canadian First Nations artist Kent Monkman. 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, as well as critical theories on frustration, resilience, the desire for change and the search for meaning, which he employs to analyze the subject at hand. Throughout his work, De la Rosa creates images that universalize issues of identity, resilience, and social struggle, evoking empathy in societies so distant from his own.