Christian A. Albarracín-Colombia

Christian Albarracín, a Colombian artist born in Bogotá in 1984, creates three-dimensional paper installations that transcend traditional boundaries between artwork and environment. His ongoing series, City Subjects, reflects his unique approach:

“The wall is not a background; it is an active part of the work, an extension of the body emerging from the paper. Each installation seeks to inhabit the space with subtlety, almost like a suspended breath. I am inspired by that moment when the everyday transforms into visual poetry.”

For Albarracín, paper is not merely a medium but an active partner in creation. Over eight years of self-taught exploration, he has developed a distinctive process that investigates the weight, texture, and durability of paper. Through careful manipulation, he constructs works ranging from 30 cm to 2 meters in height, often exposing them to water and the natural environment to test and reinforce their resilience over time.

He describes the material as both delicate and versatile:

“The material is incredibly thin, fragile, and pliable. Its delicate composition both makes it challenging and highly adaptable. Paper serves as a support or conductor of artistic material and, in many ways, becomes its own composer of a work of art. Many have experimented with it, but because it is not tied to a traditional technique, its practical demands render it a noble and complex material for sculpture. Within my three-dimensional compositions, I have achieved something unique that sets my work apart from other artists who engage with this medium.”

Albarracín’s work gained deeper resonance during the COVID era, a time when masks concealed faces and human interaction was reduced. The city’s latent sense of distance became more palpable, a condition his installations capture with subtlety and poetic force.

His career has been marked by representation in U.S. galleries and participation in major international art fairs, including Art Miami – CONTEXT and Art Palm Beach, among others. Through these platforms, Albarracín continues to expand the dialogue between material, space, and human presence, positioning paper not as a fragile support but as a sculptural force with profound expressive power.