b. 1985
Loriel Beltrán (b. 1985, Caracas, Venezuela) is a contemporary artist known for redefining the material language of painting through an inventive process that fuses painting, sculpture, and architecture. He often works with industrial acrylic latex, poured in successive layers and later cut, stacked, or adhered to wood panels, transforming pigment into a solid and sculptural mass. By treating paint not as a surface but as substance, Beltrán challenges traditional notions of pictorial space while foregrounding color, texture, and process as central subjects. His works recall the history of abstraction yet push it forward, creating objects that are at once rigorous, poetic, and deeply tactile.
Beltrán’s practice has gained wide recognition across the Americas, with exhibitions in institutions and galleries in Miami, New York, and Latin America. His work resonates with both formalist traditions and cultural memory, reflecting on how painting can embody history, labor, and materiality. Frequently monumental in scale yet refined in detail, his panels invite viewers to consider how perception shifts between surface and depth, image and object. This innovative approach has positioned Beltrán as a significant voice in contemporary art, expanding the possibilities of what painting can be today.
