Chicago-based visual artist & designer Juan Arango Palacios shares valuable lessons for building an art career. Here’s what we discuss:
1. Why Juan explores the intersection between Queer and Latinx culture in the United States and the ways in which his work has evolved over the last few years.
2. Juan’s experience as a full-time artist and advice for emerging artists who are working towards a similar goal.
3. The power of believing in yourself and elevating the presentation of your work as you find and attract new opportunities.
About Juan -
Juan Arango Palacios was born in Pereira, Colombia, and was raised in a traditional Catholic home. His traditional upbringing was cut short by a series of migrations that their family took seeking a better future. Juan’s family moved from Colombia to southern Louisiana where Juan’s sense of identity and belonging began to be skewed by their lack of knowledge of the English language, their unfamiliarity with American culture, and their internal struggle with a queer identity. Juan graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2020, and has a painting, textile-making, and sculpture practice based in Chicago. Placing emphasis on color and composition, Juan’s work aims to create images and narratives glorifying and fantasizing the idea of safety and joy in a queer experience.