ABOUT
Antonio Pulgarín (b. 1989) is a Colombian American lens-based artist, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Advocate, and Arts Education Administrator currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. He an active practitioner, who earned his BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in 2013. In his artistic practice, Pulgarin delves deeply into the printed archive, employing photographic collage, mixed-media and installation to address the Latinx and Queer narrative in America.At its core, his work is an exploration of the counter-archive and an examination of erased histories. In addition, his work tackles additional themes such as cultural and queer identity, Latinx masculinity, memory, and displacement. His most recent work is a natural progression of familiar themes that explore Latinx masculinity and the politics of queer desire through appropriation and collage. All finalized collages are adhered and presented onto different surfaces such as canvas, adhesive vinyl, bamboo plywood, aluminum, and acrylic glass. The finalized treatments of each collage pay homage to the way photography was presented and visually consumed in his childhood home—taped or pinned to a refrigerator, mirror, or religious iconography. In his work, he continues this tradition by veering away from the formal framed image to present his work in new ways. Throughout his work, elements of nostalgia, personal narrative tied to his heritage and queerness, and explorations of masculinity converge. Ultimately, Pulgarin's work seeks to challenge the logic of the archive while re-examining our shared histories and re-imagining what once was.
Throughout the years his work has been prominently featured in exhibitions at esteemed institutions such as the Bronx Museum, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Artist Trust, Aperture Foundation, Baxter St Camera Club of New York, Longwood Art Gallery, The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz, BRIC, and Musée de l'Elysée (Photo Elysée). Pulgarin's work has been honored and recognized by institutions such as YoungArts, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, EnFoco, The Magenta Foundation, Latin American Fotografia, American Photography, and PDN Photo Annual.
Pulgarín’s work has been featured in publications such as Vice, The Advocate, UnSeen Magazine, Visual Arts Journal, New York Daily News, BESE, Slate, LensCulture and The Huffington Post.
Portrait by: Supranav Dash
Colombian American Visual Artist, DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Advocate, and Arts Education Administrator based in Brooklyn, NY.
Education
2013 BFA in Photography; School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Solo Exhibitions
2021 Lost Throughout the Pages (Whispers of the Caballeros), Baxter St CCNY, New York, NY.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 Artist Trust benefit Auction, Axis Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA.
2022 9th Annual ICON Exhibition, Lynn Hanson Gallery, Seattle, WA.
2021 Bronx Calling: The Fifth AIM Biennial, Bronx Museum, Bronx, NY.
2020 reGeneration4: The Challenges of Photography and It's Museum for Tomorrow, Musée de I'Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland.
2020 Dos Mundos 20/21, Samuel Dorsky Musuem of Art, Traveling Exhibition Presented by EnFoco, New Paltz, NY.
2019 Queer As I, Here Arts Center, New York, NY
2019 Beyond Boundaries, Aperture Foundation, Presented by LensCulture, New York, NY
2019 BRIC Open: The Portrait is Political, BRIC, Brooklyn NY
2018 Identity Gallery, Voila! Creative Studio, Curated by BESE, Los Angeles, CA
2018 REVIVAL: Contemporary Paterrn & Decoration, El Museo De Barrio/The Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture/The Bronx Council on the Arts, New York, NY
2017 NOW.AFTER, Front Art Space, New York, NY.
2016 Off The Clock, APA LA, Photo LA, Los Angeles, CA.
2015 The National: Best Contemporary Photography , Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN.
2015 Miami Project Fair, SVA Galleries, Curated by Stephen Frailey, Miami, FL.
2015 International Photo Festival Leiden, Selected by the United Photo Industries, Netherlands.
2015 Photoville, Emergicube, Nominated By: Jerry Vezzuso, Brooklyn, NY.
2015 National Photography Competition Exhibition, SoHo Photo Gallery, Curated by: Elizabeth Avedon, New York, NY.
2014 PhotoWorld: Breaking Photography Exhibition, PowerHouse Arena, Presented by the New York Photo Festival, Brooklyn, NY.
2014 Photoville, PhotoWorld: New York Photo Festival GIF Box Exhibition, Brooklyn, NY.
2014 I Found God in Myself, La Maison d'Art Gallery, New York, NY.
2014 Resolution, New York Photo Festival, PowerHouse Arena, Brooklyn, New York, NY.
Artist Talks & Lectures
2023 Artist Trust, Axis Pioneer Square, Artist talk.
2021 Baxter St. Camera Club of NY (CCNY), Artist Talk.
2021 Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery, Stony Brook University, Artist Talk.
2020 Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Artist talk.
2019 Kingsborough Art Museum, Artist Talk.
2019 Queer Identity & Creativity, School of Visual Arts, Artist Lecture Panel.
Awards and Honors
2020 Baxter Street, CCNY Workspace Residency, New York, NY.
2019 The Bronx Museum of the Arts, AIM Fellowship
2018 LensCulture Art Photography Awards,Second Place Series Prize
2018 Magenta Flash Forward Emerging Photographer Award
2018 En Foco Photography Fellowship Award
2015 AI-AP Latin American Fotografia 4, Chosen Winner.
2015 Visable White Photo Competition; Shortlisted.
2014 PDN 30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch 2014, Nominated.
2014 PhotoWorld: Breaking Photography, New York Photo Festival, Selected Finalist, In Collaboration with Michael Toujiline.
2014 AI-AP Latin American Fotografia Tres, Chosen Winner.
2014 Photo District News, PDN Photo Annual Winner.
2014 AI-AP American Photography 30, Chosen Winner.
2014 Resolution, New York Photo Festival, Selected Finalist.
Press & Publications
2019 Halm, Dan, "PORTFOLIO: Antonio Pulgarin", Visual Arts Journal, Spring
2018 Fernandez, Mariana, "Antonio Pulgarin's Meditations on Latino Masculinity", BESE, June 26th
2018 Hernandez, Ciel, "A Question on Latino Manliness: An Interview with Antonio Pulgarin",Lomography Magazine, February 14th.
2018 Kraft, Coralie, "Fragments of Machismo: Confronting Latin American Masculinity", LensCulture, January 4th.
2018 "How My Uncle's Miltary Photos Inspired My Project on Latino Masculinity", The Huffington Post, January 3rd.
2017 Renstrom, Elizabeth, "Unearthed Family Photos Explore Colombia Machismo", VICE, December 29th.
2015 Milstein.Kara,“Los Banilejos-Antonio Pulgarin,” World Photography Organisation (WPO), December 1st.
2015 Oxley. Matthew, “ Put Down the Camera-Antonio Pulgarin, Fotovisura,” World Photography Organisation (WPO), June 19th.
2015 Schonauer.David, "Latin American Fotografia: Antonio Pulgarin," AI-AP Presents: Dispatches From Latin America, May 20th.
2014 Wright. Peter, " A Photo Series of Colombia's Current Civil War," Huffington Post (US), November 19th.
2014 Moffat.Corianna, "Alum Feature: Antonio Pulgarin," The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of NYC, October 8th.
2014 PDN Photo of the day, October 6th.
2014 PDN (Photo District News) Magazine, PDN Photo Annual.
2014 Schonauer.David, "Latin American Fotografia: Antonio Pulgarin," AI-AP Presents: Dispatches From Latin America, January 2.
Education
2013 BFA in Photography; School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Solo Exhibitions
2021 Lost Throughout the Pages (Whispers of the Caballeros), Baxter St CCNY, New York, NY.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 Artist Trust benefit Auction, Axis Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA.
2022 9th Annual ICON Exhibition, Lynn Hanson Gallery, Seattle, WA.
2021 Bronx Calling: The Fifth AIM Biennial, Bronx Museum, Bronx, NY.
2020 reGeneration4: The Challenges of Photography and It's Museum for Tomorrow, Musée de I'Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland.
2020 Dos Mundos 20/21, Samuel Dorsky Musuem of Art, Traveling Exhibition Presented by EnFoco, New Paltz, NY.
2019 Queer As I, Here Arts Center, New York, NY
2019 Beyond Boundaries, Aperture Foundation, Presented by LensCulture, New York, NY
2019 BRIC Open: The Portrait is Political, BRIC, Brooklyn NY
2018 Identity Gallery, Voila! Creative Studio, Curated by BESE, Los Angeles, CA
2018 REVIVAL: Contemporary Paterrn & Decoration, El Museo De Barrio/The Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture/The Bronx Council on the Arts, New York, NY
2017 NOW.AFTER, Front Art Space, New York, NY.
2016 Off The Clock, APA LA, Photo LA, Los Angeles, CA.
2015 The National: Best Contemporary Photography , Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN.
2015 Miami Project Fair, SVA Galleries, Curated by Stephen Frailey, Miami, FL.
2015 International Photo Festival Leiden, Selected by the United Photo Industries, Netherlands.
2015 Photoville, Emergicube, Nominated By: Jerry Vezzuso, Brooklyn, NY.
2015 National Photography Competition Exhibition, SoHo Photo Gallery, Curated by: Elizabeth Avedon, New York, NY.
2014 PhotoWorld: Breaking Photography Exhibition, PowerHouse Arena, Presented by the New York Photo Festival, Brooklyn, NY.
2014 Photoville, PhotoWorld: New York Photo Festival GIF Box Exhibition, Brooklyn, NY.
2014 I Found God in Myself, La Maison d'Art Gallery, New York, NY.
2014 Resolution, New York Photo Festival, PowerHouse Arena, Brooklyn, New York, NY.
Artist Talks & Lectures
2023 Artist Trust, Axis Pioneer Square, Artist talk.
2021 Baxter St. Camera Club of NY (CCNY), Artist Talk.
2021 Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery, Stony Brook University, Artist Talk.
2020 Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Artist talk.
2019 Kingsborough Art Museum, Artist Talk.
2019 Queer Identity & Creativity, School of Visual Arts, Artist Lecture Panel.
Awards and Honors
2020 Baxter Street, CCNY Workspace Residency, New York, NY.
2019 The Bronx Museum of the Arts, AIM Fellowship
2018 LensCulture Art Photography Awards,Second Place Series Prize
2018 Magenta Flash Forward Emerging Photographer Award
2018 En Foco Photography Fellowship Award
2015 AI-AP Latin American Fotografia 4, Chosen Winner.
2015 Visable White Photo Competition; Shortlisted.
2014 PDN 30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch 2014, Nominated.
2014 PhotoWorld: Breaking Photography, New York Photo Festival, Selected Finalist, In Collaboration with Michael Toujiline.
2014 AI-AP Latin American Fotografia Tres, Chosen Winner.
2014 Photo District News, PDN Photo Annual Winner.
2014 AI-AP American Photography 30, Chosen Winner.
2014 Resolution, New York Photo Festival, Selected Finalist.
Press & Publications
2019 Halm, Dan, "PORTFOLIO: Antonio Pulgarin", Visual Arts Journal, Spring
2018 Fernandez, Mariana, "Antonio Pulgarin's Meditations on Latino Masculinity", BESE, June 26th
2018 Hernandez, Ciel, "A Question on Latino Manliness: An Interview with Antonio Pulgarin",Lomography Magazine, February 14th.
2018 Kraft, Coralie, "Fragments of Machismo: Confronting Latin American Masculinity", LensCulture, January 4th.
2018 "How My Uncle's Miltary Photos Inspired My Project on Latino Masculinity", The Huffington Post, January 3rd.
2017 Renstrom, Elizabeth, "Unearthed Family Photos Explore Colombia Machismo", VICE, December 29th.
2015 Milstein.Kara,“Los Banilejos-Antonio Pulgarin,” World Photography Organisation (WPO), December 1st.
2015 Oxley. Matthew, “ Put Down the Camera-Antonio Pulgarin, Fotovisura,” World Photography Organisation (WPO), June 19th.
2015 Schonauer.David, "Latin American Fotografia: Antonio Pulgarin," AI-AP Presents: Dispatches From Latin America, May 20th.
2014 Wright. Peter, " A Photo Series of Colombia's Current Civil War," Huffington Post (US), November 19th.
2014 Moffat.Corianna, "Alum Feature: Antonio Pulgarin," The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of NYC, October 8th.
2014 PDN Photo of the day, October 6th.
2014 PDN (Photo District News) Magazine, PDN Photo Annual.
2014 Schonauer.David, "Latin American Fotografia: Antonio Pulgarin," AI-AP Presents: Dispatches From Latin America, January 2.