ARTIST STATEMENT
“Unexpected attractors” is a series of paintings inspired by poems from the book “Instructions to detect a monster” by the international author Gocho Versolari.
“I was totally captivated by the universe of these poems, I also had a reunion with reading Spanish, my first language; I went back to a time when a book was everything to me and the beautiful and intricate letters of the chapters opened the door to ancient mysteries and fantasies as well as opened the door to a new dimension where fractals and monsters are diluted in everyday life and where passion floats in the air”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Luisa Otero Prada is a visual artist based in St Louis, MO since 2004. Drawing inspiration from her native Colombia, Luisa fills her canvases with vibrant flora, people and colorful abstractions. She weaves different aspects of her identity into her paintings to create enchanting passages that resonate with people from all walks of life. Before moving to St. Louis in 2004,Luisa attended La Salle University in Bogota, Colombia where she majored in Architecture. She is active in her St. Louis community.
Luisa attended the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission Community Arts Institute in 2016 and also their Teaching Artist Institute in 2020. Through the Contemporary Art Museum’s ArtReach program she served as artist-in-residence at Vashon High School, and she was also an artist-in-residence for two years through Artscope at Kairos Academy and St. Cecilia School. She coordinated the “Doors of North STL” project for PEACE Weaving Wholeness, and has served as curator for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater St. Louis, Luisa was included as an “Emerging Immigrant Artist” at the Missouri History Museum in 2019. She has also facilitated workshops for the St. Louis Art Fair, Missouri History Museum and the St. Louis Hispanic Festival. She is a member of Zuka Arts Guild, St. Louis Artist Guild and LatinX Art STL. Luisa currently serves as Youth Programs Coordinator for Bread and Roses Missouri, coordinating all of their youth visual arts programs. She was recently named an Emerging Artist at the 2022 St. Louis Art Fair.
© Luisa Otero-Prada