Biography
Juan Sebastián Aguirre, known as Apitatán, is an Ecuadorian illustrator and muralist born in 1987 in Quito. A leading figure of contemporary Latin American muralism, he works in a colourful, stylised graphic vocabulary that combines portraits of men and women from indigenous peoples, Andean flora and fauna, and iconography of mestizaje.
His practice is rooted in fieldwork: he visits museums, meets residents and craftspeople from the neighbourhoods where he paints before shaping an image that "speaks of that place". His often-monumental murals invite viewers to "embrace the traditions being lost from one generation to the next".
Invited to festivals across Latin America (Latidoamericano in Paraguay in 2016, Colombia, Peru, Mexico) and Europe, he has also painted in China and the United States. His recognisable style — saturated flat colour, thick outlines, frontal portraits — has made him one of the most visible ambassadors of Ecuadorian muralism.
His practice is rooted in fieldwork: he visits museums, meets residents and craftspeople from the neighbourhoods where he paints before shaping an image that "speaks of that place". His often-monumental murals invite viewers to "embrace the traditions being lost from one generation to the next".
Invited to festivals across Latin America (Latidoamericano in Paraguay in 2016, Colombia, Peru, Mexico) and Europe, he has also painted in China and the United States. His recognisable style — saturated flat colour, thick outlines, frontal portraits — has made him one of the most visible ambassadors of Ecuadorian muralism.
The site contains a total of 1 artworks by Apitatán in 1 countries.
