Angel Otero Puerto Rico, b. 1981
Angel Otero is a Puerto Rican-born painter and sculptor whose work is influenced by the nature and formulation of memories.
Otero’s approach to art making combines methods of formation and deformation, a way of working that results in images and objects that seem to be in a continual state of becoming. Among his most illustrative bodies of work are his so-called “paint skins,” which are made by painting on glass then, once dry, scraping off the paint in sheets like peeled layers of skin. Those peeled paint skins can then be rearranged on a canvas to create a layered, textured abstract composition, which can be interpreted as a re-mixed material memory of its own creation.
In another body of work, Otero employs silicone and powdered pigments to create fragile abstract impressions on canvas. Known as the Transfer Series, this body of work takes imagery from Otero’s personal history and distills it down to a line pattern evocative of a traditional woodcut print. Following the lines with silicone and dusting the canvas with raw pigment, Otero transfers the images between canvases in an act that is simultaneously creative and destructive, forming new abstract images while the original is destroyed in the transfer.
With these processes, Otero showcases the physicality of his materials beyond their historical uses as image-making mediums, making the materials and processes the subjects of the work.
Recent major exhibitions of Otero’s work include Diario, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO; The Otherside of Now: Foresight in Contemporary Caribbean Art, Perez Art Museum Miami, FL; Elegies, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY; Everything and Nothing, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Houston, TX; and Lago, Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL; and Coffee, Rum, Sugar, Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco, CA. Otero’s work is included in the collections of the Berezdivin Collection, Puerto Rico; Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY; DePaul University Museum, Chicago, IL; Istanbul Modern, Istanbul, Turkey; Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO; Margulies Collection, Miami, FL; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY; UBS Art Collection, Chicago, IL; and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA, among many others. Otero attended the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico, and received his BFA and MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has completed residencies at Vannucci Artist Residency, Umbria, Italy, and Anderson Ranch, Aspen, Colorado. He lives and works in New York.
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Angel OteroUntitled , 2020Oil paint and fabric collaged on canvasApprox. 48 x 72 in
121.9 x 182.9 cm -
Angel OteroSpitting Sun, 2018Oil skins on fabric109 x 70 x 5 in
276.9 x 177.8 x 12.7 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SCP 045), 2017Oil paint and fabric collaged on paper48 x 36 x 2 in
121.9 x 91.4 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SCP 046), 2017Oil paint and fabric collaged on paper36 x 48 x 2
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Angel OteroSK-AFH, 2021Oil and oil skins on canvas84 x 60 in
213.4 x 152.4 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-OE), 2013Oil paint and oil paint skins collaged on canvas83 1/2 x 61 x 3 in
212.1 x 154.9 x 7.6 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-OS), 2013Oil paint and oil paint skins collaged on canvas40 x 32 1/2 x 3 in
101.6 x 82.5 x 7.6 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-VC), 2015Oil paint and oil paint skins collaged on canvas84 x 72 x 2 1/2 in
213.4 x 182.9 x 6.3 cm -
Angel OteroNo Coin for a Fountain, 2016Collaged oil skins and fabric on canvas60 x 36 1/2 x 2 in
152.4 x 92.7 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroMellow yellow feel , 2017Oil paint and fabric collaged on canvas84 x 60 x 2 1/2 in
213.4 x 152.4 x 6.3 cm -
Angel OteroShipwrecked, 2016Collaged oil skins and fabric on canvas
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Angel OteroTides That I Try to Swim Against, 2017Collaged oil skins and fabric on canvas84 x 60 x 2 1/2 in
213.4 x 152.4 x 6.3 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-XC), 2016Collaged oil skins on canvas60 x 36 1/2 x 2 in
152.4 x 92.7 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroEverything and Nothing, 2011Collaged oil paint skins on canvas97 1/4 x 84 1/2 x 3 in
247 x 214.6 x 7.6 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-QK), 2014Oil paint an oil paint skins collaged on canvas40 x 32 x 2 in
101.6 x 81.3 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroAt 11:11 PM I'm Asking for the Same Wish, 2014Oil paint and oil paint skins. collaged on canvas48 x 36 x 3 in
121.9 x 91.4 x 7.6 cm -
Angel OteroBlooming Leftovers, 2011Oil skins on linen60 x 48 x 2 1/2 in
152.4 x 121.9 x 6.3 cm -
Angel OteroExpectation, 2015Oil paint and oil paint skins collaged on canvas46 x 32 x 2 in
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Angel OteroMama's Bay II (SK-HK), 2012Collaged oil skins on canvas73 x 96 1/2 x 3 1/2 in
185.4 x 245.1 x 8.9 cm -
Angel OteroThe Pianist, 2015Collaged oil skins on canvas31 1/2 x 23 1/2 x 2 1/2 in
80 x 59.7 x 6.3 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled , 2015Collaged oil skins on canvas84 x 60 x 3 in
213.4 x 152.4 x 7.6 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-DB), 2012Collaged oil skins and resin on canvas86 x 76 x 3 1/2 in
218.4 x 193 x 8.9 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-FK), 2012Collaged oil skins on resin coated canvas76 x 63 x 3 1/2 in
193 x 160 x 8.9 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-HV), 2012Collaged oil skins on canvas74 x 97 x 4 in
188 x 246.4 x 10.2 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-LW), 2013Oil paint and oil-paint skins on canvas84 x 60 in
213.4 x 152.4 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-OF), 2013Collaged oil skins on canvas33 x 24 1/2 x 3 in
83.8 x 62.2 x 7.6 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-VX), 2015Collaged oil skins on canvas84 x 60 x 2 1/2 in
213.4 x 152.4 x 6.3 cm -
Angel OteroWinking Stars, 2015Collaged oil skins and fabric on canvas84 1/2 x 60 1/2 x 3 in
214.6 x 153.7 x 7.6 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-LQ), 2013oil paint and oil paint skins colaged on canvas84 x 60 x 3 in
214.6 x 153.7 x 8.9 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SK-IZ), 2012Collaged oil skins on canvas84 x 61 x 3 1/2 in
213.4 x 154.9 x 8.9 cm -
Angel OteroThe Dangerous Ability to Fascinate Other People, 2011Collaged oil skins on canvas97 x 86 x 3.5
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Angel OteroThank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you, 2011Collaged oil skins on canvas97 x 85 x 2 1/2 in
246.4 x 215.9 x 6.3 cm -
Angel OteroSK-ML (Fence Series), 2013Collaged oil skins on canvas84 x 60 1/2 x 4 in
213.4 x 153.7 x 10.2 cm -
Angel OteroSacrfice II, 2012Collaged oil skins on canvas86 x 74 x 3 1/2 in
218.4 x 188 x 8.9 cm -
Angel OteroSCP-137, 2017Oil paint and fabric collaged on paper30 x 22 1/2 in
76.2 x 57.1 cm -
Angel OteroSCP-135, 2017Oil paint and fabric collaged on paper30 x 22 1/2 in
76.2 x 57.1 cm -
Angel OteroSCP-134, 2017Oil paint and fabric collaged on paper22 1/2 x 30 1/2 in
57.1 x 77.5 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled, 2018Oil paint and fabric collaged on paper80 x 55 in
203.2 x 139.7 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled, 2019Oil paint and fabric collaged on clayboard72 x 48 x 2 in
182.9 x 121.9 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroMoment of Clarity (SK-ACI), 2020Oil paint and fabric collaged on canvas44 x 30 1/2 x 2 in
111.8 x 77.5 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroLove Eclipses Evil, 2015Oil paint and fabric on canvas84 x 60 x 2 1/2 in
213.4 x 152.4 x 6.3 cmSK-WO -
Angel OteroA False Spring, 2016Oil paint and fabric collaged on canvas96 x 145 1/2 x 3 in
243.8 x 369.6 x 7.6 cm -
Angel OteroUntiled (ST-CI), 2015Cadmium pigment and silicone on canvas48 x 72 x 2 in
121.9 x 182.9 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroVegas, 2015Silicone and cadmium pigment on canvas72 x 96 x 2 in
182.9 x 243.8 x 5.1 cmST-CB -
Angel OteroUntitled (ST-BJ), 2014Cadmium pigment and silicone on raw canvas60 x 42 in
152.4 x 106.7 cm -
Angel OteroI am the place I come back to, 2015Cadmium pigment and silicone on canvas96 x 120 x 2 in
243.8 x 304.8 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroLAGO, 2015Cadmium pigment and silicone on canvas84 x 96 x 2 in
213.4 x 243.8 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroTatara, 2015Cadmium pigment and silicone on canvas96 x 120 x 2 in
243.8 x 304.8 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroBlanket Weaver , 2015Cadmium pigment and silicone on canvas72 x 96 x 2 in
182.9 x 243.8 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (ST-CK), 2015Ivory black pigment and silicone on canvas48 x 72 x 2 in
121.9 x 182.9 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroLeaving Leaves, 2014Silicone, charcoal and graphite on canvas84 x 60 x 2 in
213.4 x 152.4 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroEasy Rider, 2015Silicone and graphite on canvas84 x 60 x 2 in
213.4 x 152.4 x 5.1 cm -
Angel OteroSunday, 2012Fired porcelain and steel50 x 48 x 60 in
127 x 121.9 x 152.4 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled , 2012Iron, porcelain, and paint68 x 38 x 24 in
172.7 x 96.5 x 61 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SP-HN), 2012Iron, porcelain, and paint61 x 48 x 23 in
154.9 x 121.9 x 58.4 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled (SP-IG), 2012Fired porcelain, iron and steel117 x 12 x 17 in
297.2 x 30.5 x 43.2 cm -
Angel OteroUntitled , 2012Iron, porcelain, and paint40 x 24 x 13 in
101.6 x 61 x 33 cm
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Angel Otero: The Sea Remembers
Hauser and Wirth Hong Kong 1 Jun - 29 Jul 2023Angel Otero is known for his signature approach to visual storytelling, synthesizing magical realism and abstraction, the observed and the imagined, and the past and the present. Beginning 1 June,...Read more -
Angel Otero, Swimming Where Time Was
Hauser & Wirth, New York, NY 10 Nov - 23 Dec 2022Beginning 10 November, Angel Otero will present his first major solo exhibition with Hauser & Wirth, Swimming Where Time Was. Filling the 5th floor of the gallery’s 22nd street location,...Read more -
Abstraction & Social Critique
Kavi Gupta | 835 W. Washington Blvd. Floor 1, Chicago, IL, 60607 23 Oct 2021 - 1 Jan 2022Kavi Gupta proudly presents Abstraction and Social Critique, an intergenerational group show of artists whose aesthetic positions declare the continued relevance and influence of abstraction. The artist James Little, whose...Read more -
The Other Side of Now: Foresight in Contemporary Caribbean Art
Pérez Art Museum | Miami, FL 18 Jul 2019 - 7 Jun 2020The Other Side of Now: Foresight in Contemporary Caribbean Art is a thematic group exhibition centered on the question, “what might a Caribbean future look like?” With a series of...Read more -
Angel Otero, Elegies
Bronx Museum of Art | Bronx, NYC 25 Oct 2017 - 19 Apr 2018Since early on in his career Angel Otero has aligned his practice to the oldest and most revered painting tradition, which he endeavors to constantly reinvent it. Thus, Otero not only retains a commitment to making paintings and sculptures, but at key points in his career he has underscored that dedication with a personal mission to revisit key examples of the art of the past. Using a disciplined, thoroughgoing, empirical studio process, Otero has established a compositional method that brings together and pulls apart disparate artistic influences to develop his own unique visual language.Read more
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Angel Otero, Everything and Nothing
CAMH | Houston, TX 10 Dec 2016 - 19 Mar 2017Angel Otero: Everything and Nothing is Otero’s first survey exhibition and encompasses nearly a decade of his painting and sculpture.Read more -
Angel Otero, Lago
Kavi Gupta | 219 N. Elizabeth St. Chicago, IL, 60607 28 Mar - 16 May 2015Kavi Gupta is proud to announce an exhibition of new paintings, Lago, by Angel Otero. This will be the first exhibition to showcase Otero’s series of silicone transfers onto canvas with brightly powdered pigment.Read more -
Angel Otero, New Works
CAM Raleigh | Raleigh North Carolina 19 Oct 2012 - 14 Feb 2013CAM Raleigh’s latest Independent Weekly Gallery Emerging Artist Series exhibition by Angel Otero is a museum premiere of new works and the artist’s first solo museum exhibition. The exhibition, consisting...Read more -
Angel Otero, The Dangerous Ability to Fascinate Other People
Kavi Gupta | 835 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago, IL, 60607 9 Sep - 12 Nov 2011Kavi Gupta is proud to present The Dangerous Ability To Fascinate Other People, the second gallery solo exhibition of paintings by New York based artist Angel Otero. While much of...Read more -
Angel Otero
Kavi Gupta | 835 W. Washington Blvd. Chicago, IL, 60607 12 Dec 2009 - 30 Jan 2010Kavi Gupta is pleased to announce its first solo exhibition of Angel Otero's work.Read more
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Angel Otero | Domestic Familiarity and Abstract Memory | Artist Interview
July 13, 2022 -
Angel Otero | Avant Arte
Unconventional paintings provide material form for the abstract imprints of memory and history. May 31, 2022'I don't want my mind to inform my hand, I want my hand to inform my head.' – Angel Otero Angel Otero pushes the limits...Read more -
The Artist Profile Archive: Angel Otero
July 21, 2020 -
Art in lockdown: Angel Otero
April 21, 2020Art in Lockdown video with Angel OteroRead more -
Bronx Museum: Meet The Artist: Angel Otero
March 28, 2020 -
Angel Otero's brief but spectacular take on discovering his artistic voice
PBS News Hour September 16, 2019Artist Angel Otero’s brand of visual storytelling is a unique one: he creates oil skins from paint poured onto glass and peeled off in sheets...Read more -
In Conversation: Artist Angel Otero with Senior Curator Valerie Cassel Oliver | Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
April 24, 2017 -
Angel Otero | Lincoln Center
February 27, 2015 -
ISTANBUL'74 visits Angel Otero's studio
July 10, 2012 -
Rashid Johnson Trades Art with Angel Otero | ART21 "New York Close Up"
July 22, 2011
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Puerto Rican artist Angel Otero on Fusing Abstraction and Surrealism, for Hong Kong exhibition
Aaina Bhargava, Tatler, May 31, 2023 -
Angel Otero Solo Exhibition and Artist talk at Hauser & Wirth Hong Kong
Martin Cid Magazine, May 31, 2023 -
Studio Visit With Angel Otero
Kristen Tauer, WWD, November 20, 2022 -
School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s 2022 Art Auction and A Happening Auction Party
Hyperallergic, November 4, 2022 -
Angel Otero & Wadsworth Jarrell: MoAD, Artsy’s 2022 Art Auction Celebrates Many Voices, One Diaspora
The Oakland Post, April 24, 2022 -
Angel Otero Heads to Hauser & Wirth as His Market Rapidly Ascends
ALEX GREENBERGER, ARTnews, February 4, 2022 -
Abstractions & Social Critique | Chicago: six must-see exhibitions
Clare Voon, Art Basel, December 18, 2021 -
A BROOKLYN ARTIST FINDS INSPIRATION, AND REFUGE, IN PUERTO RICO
Osman Can Yerebakan, The New York TImes, March 4, 2019 -
BRONX MUSEUM OF THE ARTS EXPANDS BOARD OF TRUSTEES
ARTFORUM, February 25, 2019 -
THE BEST ART EXHIBITIONS IN SEOUL
Yujin Min, Frieze, November 13, 2018 -
ANGEL OTERO SHARES HIS TOP PICKS FROM FRIEZE NEW YORK
Gabriella Angeleti, The Art Newspaper, May 3, 2018 -
ARTISTIC INNOVATION AT THE BRONX MUSEUM: AN INTERVIEW WITH ANGEL OTERO
Phil Chan, Ivy Magazine, January 17, 2018 -
BEST OF 2017: OUR TOP 20 NYC ART SHOWS
HYPERALLERGIC, December 20, 2017 -
ANGEL OTERO – CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM HOUSTON (CAMH)
December 8, 2016 -
Angel Otero on His New Painting Technique and First Hong Kong Exhibition
Samuel Spencer, Blouin ARTINFO, June 7, 2016 -
ANGEL OTERO New Paintings
Jessica Holmes, Brooklyn Rail, December 9, 2015 -
ANGEL OTERO’S DIGS ON FRAYED CANVASES AND CRUMBLED SCULPTURES
Christian Viveros-Faune, The Village Voice, September 18, 2013 -
ANGEL OTERO: THE STORY BEHIND AN ARTWORK, IN THE ARTIST’S OWN WORDS
Martin Parskian, Modern Painters, January 15, 2013
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UNTITLED, ART Online
30 Jul - 9 Aug 2020Kavi Gupta is proud to be a participating partner in UNTITLED, ART Online, the world's first VR art fair. Utilizing groundbreaking technology in unprecedented times,...Read more -
Aspen Intersect 2020
22 - 26 Jul 2020Kavi Gupta is pleased to participate in Intersect Aspen’s first edition of online Viewing Rooms. On view in the Kavi Gupta viewing room are works...Read more