Abel Amaya is inspired by abstract expressionists the likes of Jackson Pollock and cultural icon Andy Warhol who knew and could harness the power of popular aesthetics. You can see the play of this influence in his explosive character-rich compositions that feel like the dense spatters of Pollock’s immersive canvases. The tension and chaos of popular culture can inspire nostalgia and a kind of love and Amaya enjoys banking off these emotions by creating storms of characters that are recognizable with a single white glove or pixelated bloom. These dust-ups are metaphors for how entertainment and media collide. We know and love these characters, they have been with us for our entire lives and they have tremendous power in our hearts and memory.

Abel studied visual arts at the University of El Salvador, graduating in Contemporary Art and Graphic Design. He has shown his work in solo and group exhibitions throughout Latin America and has been included in collections in Belgium, Italy, New York, Panama, Costa Rica, and El Salvador.