Néstor Otero
Caguas, PR, 1948 - San Juan, PR, 2021
Biography Details
Creator of installations and constructions, graphic and digital artist, graphic designer, painter, and draftsman. As a child, Otero studied with the painter and serigraph artist Luis Germán Cajiga and later at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Pratt Institute, and the New York School of Visual Arts. He was the director of the important digital studio Scarlet Letters in New York. He has taken part in events such as the Caribbean and Central American Painting Biennial in the Dominican Republic, where he was awarded the gold medal in 1995; the Sao Paulo Biennial in 1997; the International Painting Biennial in Cuenca, Ecuador, in 1996 and 2007; the Havana Biennial in 2000; and the San Juan PoliGráfica Triennial in 2004, and he has received prizes for both his traditional and digital work. In 1996, he received the Premio al Mérito from the National Fund for Financing Cultural Activity. He has always been interested in subjects related to the processes of memory and in how symbols play an essential role in daily life, and he approaches those subjects from the perspective of conceptual art. He says that some have described his work “as arte povera and [some] as sophisticated and elegant,” although he himself thinks that it’s a balance of both.
Artist Statement
Néstor Otero is a multidisciplinary artist who has excelled as a conceptual artist, designer and illustrator. His preferred mediums are installations, facilities and mixed media. He uses a vocabulary based on the association of everyday symbols and images, which refer to human existence through reflection.
Formation
Education
1978
- University studies. School of Visual Arts, New York, United States
- Ceramics Workshops. Henry Street Settlement Workshops, New York, United States
- Video Workshops. Taller Boricua, New York, United States
- Silkscreen workshop with Bill Tulis. El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
1976
- University studies. Pratt Institute, New York, United States
1970
- University studies. The Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, United States
Profesional Experience
1996-1997
- Professor. Department of Sculpture, Design and Image. Escuela de Artes Plásticas, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1990
- Drawing Professor. Boricua Collage, New York, United States
- Participant. Art in the School Place Program, Board of Education, New York, United States
- Founder and designer. “Graphic Design as a Second Language Workshop, EVENTOS, New York, United States
1970
- Panelist, CETA Grants. Awards for artists granted by the City of New York, New York, United States
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
2013
- Néstor Otero: conceptos, referencias y estrategias en un proceso (exhibición y presentación de libro), Galería de Arte, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2005
- Referencias, Galería Botello, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2004
- SITU: ediciones digitales, Galería Raíces, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2003
- SITU: ediciones digitales, Taller Boricua Gallery, Julia de Burgos Cultural Center, New York, United States
2000
- Amenaza del silencio, Sin Título, Galería de Arte Contemporáneo, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Constancia: acumulación y proyección, Bienal de La Habana, Havana, Cuba; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1993
- Iconografía, Taller Boricua, New York, United States
- Vocabulario: palabra e imagen, Sala de arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez; Biblioteca Universitaria, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Humacao Campus, Humacao, Puerto Rico; Wilmer Jennings at Kenkeleba, New York, United States
1992
- Epigrama, Galería Raíces, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1989
- Stations Promises, Taller Boricua, New York, United States
1983
- ACECHO Waiting Lurking, The Cayman Gallery, New York, United States
1979
- Paisajes,The Association of Hispanic Arts, New York, United States
1977
- Confrontación: Ambiente y espacio, El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
Group Shows
2013
- Muestra Nacional de Arte, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- RETRO, Museo de Arte de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Noba: Néstor Otero Annex Burgos,, Impresiones, Relieves y Resonancias Museo de Arte Dr. Pío López Martínez, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Cayey Campus, Cayey, Puerto Rico
2012
- Noba: Néstor Otero Annex Burgos, Trienal PoliGráfica de San Juan, Casa de los Contrafuertes, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Interconexiones, lecturas curatoriales de la colección del MAPR, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011
- Arte en el medio: 35 años de fotografía en Puerto Rico, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Noba: Néstor Otero Annex Burgos, Ya sé leer, Centro Wifredo Lam, Havana, Cuba
2009
- Noba: Néstor Otero Annex Burgos, Muestra Nacional De Arte, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Noba: Néstor Otero Annex Burgos, IV Bienal de Escultura en Concreto de Caguas, Jardín Botánico, Caguas, Puerto Rico
2008
- Noba: Néstor Otero Annex Burgos, Simbiosis: Annex Burgos, Néstor Otero en diálogo,Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Taller Boricua, New York, United States
2007
- Observaciones, Galería Raíces, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- IX Bienal Internacional de Pintura de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
2005
- IV Salón de Arte Digital de Maracaibo, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo del Zulia, Maczul, Venezuela
2004
- Trienal Poligráfica de San Juan: Latinoamérica y el Caribe, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2003
- Muestra Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2001
- El arte en Puerto Rico a través del tiempo,Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- XIII Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano y del Caribe, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2000
- Grands et Jeunes d’Aujourd’hui, Espace Eiffel-Branly, Paris, France
1999
- La vida urbana en la región del Caribe, Centro Cultural Cariforo, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Arte del nuevo medio: doce propuestas electrónicas, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1998
- Robert Blackburn and the Printmaking Workshop Selected works 1948-1998, The Fondo del Sol Visual Arts Center, Washington, DC, United States
- Carivista, Barbados
1997
- INSIDE: The Project group Stoffwechsel, Kassel, Germany
1996
- XXIII Bienal Internacional de Sao Paolo, Sao Paolo, Brasil
- V Bienal Internacional de Pintura de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
1995
- II Bienal de Pintura del Caribe y Centroamérica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
1994
- IX Bienal Iberoamericana de Arte,Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
- El Museo del Barrio’s 25 Anniversary Exhibition. Artists Talk Back: Visual Conversations With El Museo. Part I: Reclaiming History, El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
1989
- Juxtoposing Perspectives, Museum of Contemporary Arts, New York, United States
1988
- Strange Pasts, Longwood Arts Project at PS 39, New York, United States
1987
- Unaffiliated Artists V, Hillwood Art Gallery, Long Island University, Long Island, New York, United States
1986
- Self-portrait, Kenkeleba House, New York, United States
1985
- Surplus: Today’s art in an overpopulated city,Exit Art, New York, United States
1984
- Constructed object Constructed image, The Alternative Museum, New York, United States
- Cuarteto artworks, with Papo Colo, Marcos Dimas, José Morales curated by Néstor Otero, Hostos gallery, Hostos Community College, New York, United States
1983
- OCTOPUS an act of sculpture by Papo Colo, Collaborative Book Sculpture, Art Across the Park at El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
1982
- EXHIBITION Hispanic Artists in New York, New York City Gallery, New York; Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey; Equitable Life Assurance Society, New York, United States
1979
- Tercera muestra de pintura y escultura, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
2011
- Grant. For the design and production of the artist book, Néstor Otero: concepts, references and strategies in a process, published by Editorial Mandíbula, Fondo Puertorriqueño para el Financiamiento del Quehacer Cultural, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2006
- Award. ARTES magazine for 'Digital Juice' graphic, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2005
- Honorable Mention. IV Salón de Arte Digital, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo del Zulia (MACZUL), Maracaibo, Venezuela
2001
- Honorable Mention, for digital image “Fluidos”. XIII Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano y del Caribe, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2000
- Award best design of the year. Design for interactive catalogCDRom for the exhibition Art from New Media: twelve electronic proposals, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, International Association of Art Critics, Puerto Rico Chapter, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1999
- Award for best design of the year. International Association of Art Critics, Puerto Rico Chapter, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1997
- Award for best design. International Association of Art Critics, Puerto Rico Chapter, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
1996
- Award for best representation of a Puerto Rican artist abroad for his participation in the XXIII Biennale of Sao Paulo. International Association of Art Critics, Puerto Rico Chapter, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Award for best design of the year. International Association of Art Critics, Puerto Rico Chapter, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Resolution from the Senate of Puerto Rico. Senate of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Grant. Permanent Fund for the Arts, Community Foundation Program, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- Merit Award. Fondo Nacional para el Financiamiento del Quehacer Cultural, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1994
- Award for the best catalogue design of the year. Arnaldo Roche’s FUEGOS. International Association of Art Critics, Puerto Rico Chapter, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1993
- Merit Award. Fondo Nacional para el Financiamiento del Quehacer Cultural, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1988
- Candidate. President’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, Manhattan District, Manhattan, New York, United States
- Candidate. President’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, Manhattan District, Manhattan, New York, United States
- Merit Certificate. City of New York, New York, United States
- Honorable Mention. Office of the President, District of Queens, New York, United States
1987
- Grant for residency. The New York State Council, Arts Cultural Council Foundation, New York, United States
1984
- Grant for residency. The New York State Council, Arts Cultural Council Foundation, New York, United States
1966
- St. Gauden's Medal. Fine Draughtsmanship, School Art League, New York, United States
Collections
- Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
- Health and Hospital Corporation, New York, United States
- Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Kenkeleba House, New York, United States
- Mendez & Co., San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte Contemporáneo del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela
- Museo de Arte de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Sheldon Museum, Nebraska, United States
- UBS Financial, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bibliography
Catalogues
3 Museos Criollos: Museo de CaguasMuseo del TabacoMuseo de Arte de Caguas, Municipio Autónomo de Caguas, Puerto Rico, 2009.
'98: cien años después, Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico, 1999.
Contexto Puertorriqueño: del rococó colonial al arte global, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2007.
Exposición de la Colección Reyes-Veray, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2008.
Grandes et jeunes de aujourd'hui, Espacie Eiffel-Branly, Paris, Francia, 1995.
II Bienal de Pintura del Caribe y Centroamérica, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, República Dominicana, 1994.
IX Bienal Internacional de Cuenca, Ecuador, 2007.
MNA11: arte en el medio: 25 años de fotografía en Puerto Rico, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, Puerto Rico, 2011.
MNA13, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, Puerto Rico, 2013.
Muestra Nacional de Arte, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, Puerto Rico, 2001.
Muestra Nacional de Arte, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, Puerto Rico, 2003.
Muestra Nacional de Arte, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, Puerto Rico, 2009.
Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico: Una década 2000-2010, 2010.
Trienal Poligráfica de San Juan de América Latina y el Caribe, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2007.
VII Bienal de La Habana, Cuba, 2000 La vida urbana en el caribe (exhibición itinerante), Centro Cultural Cariforo de la República Dominicana, 2000.
XIII Bienal del Grabado Latinoamericano y el Caribe, 2001.
XXIII Bienal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1996.
Ya sé leer: imagen y texto en el arte Latinoamericano, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Wilfredo Lam, La Habana, Cuba, 2011.
Books
Díaz de Villegas, José Luis. Puerto Rico: La Gran Cocina del Caribe, San Juan Puerto Rico: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, 2004.
Néstor Otero: observaciones, referencias y estrategias en un proceso, San Juan, Puerto Rico: Editorial Mandíbula, 2013.
Pérez-Lizano, Dr. Manuel. “Ultima presencia escultórica de Puerto Rico: una aproximación”, Bayamón, Puerto Rico: Cruz Ansata, Universidad Central de Bayamón, 1994.
Ser periodista: la vida y legado de Carlos M. Castañeda, Fundación Colección Carlos M. CastañedaEditorial Luis A. Villares, 2006.
Magazines
“Gráfica Contemporánea”, Artes (San Domingo, RD), num.6, julioseptiembre, 2006.
“Proyecto miniaturas en portadas”. Artes (San Domingo, RD), septiembre, 2006.