BIOGRAPHY

Luís Vásquez Elorza was born in Itagüi in 1976, where he completed his secondary education and took his first steps in the field of arts with the theater group Ceniza, as well as music collectives of friends with whom he shared his teens. In 2000, after a few work experiences, he joined University of Antioquia’s Plastic Arts undergraduate program. In 2000, after a few work experiences, he joined University of Antioquia’s Plastic Arts undergraduate program.

Most of his academic life developed in parallel with a position as administrative assistant at the Museum of the University of Antioquia. Here he worked in the areas of museography and graphic design, the latter gave him the opportunity to participate in the development of several graphic pieces and productions for different departments of the university, as well as to take part in setting up the exhibition of renowned national artists such as Edgar Negret, Antonio Cano and Jorge Gómez among others. His hard work and willingness lead him to become production assistant of the artist Libia Posada for a short period of time.

Thanks to the knowledge and experience acquired during this academic and practical education trajectory, in 2003, he integrated the design and printing studio Más Arte Más Imagen (More Art More Image), in Medellin, where he could gain in depth knowledge on emerging digital applications for editing, vector graphics and text diagramming. Simultaneously, he carried on his activities as a freelancer, working in conceptualization, creation and production of images, print media and spaces.

His constant interest for creative processes led him to participate in the Laboratorio de Ideas (Idea Laboratory) academic course, coordinated by professor Natalia Restrepo. He was also a member of the artistic collective El Puente (The Bridge). An interdisciplinary group that gathered to think, create, share ideas, and propose actions to be taken, as regards to personal preoccupations that articulate around the creative process, and collective conception of ideas.

During this same year, he worked on Toma Todo (Take It All). A personal project, which consisted of an environmental proposal, developed under the concept of responsible social transformation. This gave him a chance to attend the 2004 Unidee in Residence program, at University of Ideas; an association agreement between the University of Antioquia and renowned artist Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Cittadellarte (Biella, Italy).

During his residency, he shared with a group of 15 people from diverse countries such as Spain, Belgium, Africa, and Russia, among others. During the four month he spent in the city of Biella, Italy, he lived with them and shared ideas to enhance the generation of creative processes both at an individual and collective level. Some of these ideas were then implemented by different areas of Cittadelarte. Following are some of the projects in which he took part:

It's so easy
A communication campaign that calls for the recognition of the value and usefulness of solid waste when properly disposed of.

Star Clock
Graphic proposal for the coffee cups of the brand Illy, which was released on the market along with other proposals, during the course of 2006.

Non cado mai
Audiovisual production by the Indian artist Ishan Ghosh.

Upon his return to Medellin, he completed the requirements of the Plastic Arts undergraduate program, and obtained his professional title in the first semester of 2005. During the last period of the same year, he continued taking part in the group El Puente (The Bridge) and integrated the entrepreneurship project Casaingenia, a creative study of audiovisual image, advertising and conceptualization of spaces and objects, dedicating his activity within the team to the latter.

Between 2005 and 2006, alongside the artistic production and entrepreneurship, he participated in productions for companies such as Invista Colombia, Estudio de Moda, University of Antioquia and Governorate of Antioquia, among others. In addition, he participated in the 40 Salón de Artistas (40th Artist Studio) with the collective El Puente (The bridge).

At the end of 2006, he was selected to represent the collective El Puente (The Bridge) at The Challenges of Creative Recycling, as part of his work with El Puente (The Bridge), in Reggio Emilia, Italy, which took place in February 2007. In addition, during his stay in Italy, he was invited to participate in the Cubbi in Movimento, a project developed by the Cittadellarte - Fondazione Pistoletto for the promotion of the city of Biella, and the region of Piedmont, through products and services that characterize this region of Italy.

In 2009, he worked as a teacher at the Creative Department of the University of Medellin, in the program of Graphic Communication and Advertising. Additionally, he was invited as a lecturer to the course on Ephemeral Spaces, at the Faculty of Architecture of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, performing interventions during the 2nd semester of 2009 and first semester of 2010.

In 2009, he worked as a teacher at the University of Medellin’s Creative department, in the program of Graphic Communication and Advertising; and was invited as a lecturer to the course on Ephemeral Spaces, at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana’s Faculty of Architecture, performing interventions during the second semester of 2009 and first semester of 2010.

Since 2014 and to date, he has devoted his activity to the production and management of his personal artistic proposal in languages such as photography, painting, ensembles and audiovisual production, as well as advisory, coordination and execution of cultural, environmental and social projects.

During his career, he has been granted different awards in artistic open calls of the City and region.