← Back to all artists

Juan Fernando Herrán

(b. 1963, Bogotá)

Juan Fernando Herrán has become known for his multifaceted practice that encompasses photography, installation, sculpture, and video that explore the cultural, social, and political aspects of Colombian life.

The subjects he has addressed include opium poppy agriculture and exploitation, the financial relationship between the Cali Cartel and the Samper presidential campaign, the self-construction of certain areas of Colombian cities, the Medellín motorcycle culture, and the importance of the figure of the hero in the construction of national identities.

Herrán’s work has been exhibited in international museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Palais de Tokyo, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris; Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston; and Palacio de Velázquez, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid. He has also participated in the Biennales of Venice, Liverpool, Habana, and São Paulo. Herrán has received numerous awards including the Prix Pictet Commission, Switzerland, 2014; Festival Off Award, FotoEspaña, Madrid, 2007; and the 11th Beca Nacional de Creación, Ministry of Culture, Bogotá, 2000.

His recent solo exhibitions include:

Piedra y polvo, Centre d´Art contemporain La halle des bouchers, Vienne, France, 2017; Ni héroes ni mártires, Museo Amparo, Puebla, 2017; Flujos Deseantes, National University of Colombia Art Museum, Bogotá, 2016; Héroes Mil, Medellín Museum of Modern Art, Medellin, 2016; Dominios de Vértigo, Nueveochenta Contemporary Art, Bogotá, 2016; Héroes Mil, Monumento a Los Héroes, Luis Caballero Award, Bogotá, 2015; La Vuelta, Nueveochenta Contemporary Art, Bogotá, and Dizzying Domains, Ideobox, Miami, 2014; Posición Horizontal, in Notes on a city, Solo Projects, ArtBo, Bogotá, 2012; Espina Dorsal, NC Arte, Bogotá, 2011.

Herrán received his MFA in Sculpture from Chelsea College of Art in London and is currently a professor in the Department of Art at the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá.