Leonardo Vargas Paints the Failure of the Image

Leonardo Vargas, born in 1982 in Barrancabermeja, Colombia, is an artist residing in Strasbourg. His paintings transform existing visuals—such as fashion advertisements, 19th-century daguerreotypes, and VHS stills—into oil on canvas, where the deterioration of the surface becomes a focal point. Vargas's approach embraces imperfections, simultaneously constructing and deconstructing faces, with drips and unpainted areas revealing the omissions of the original images. In his piece 'Daguerreotype,' he further explores the degradation of a 19th-century portrait technique. 'L'attente' incorporates a VHS loop's tracking error as a key element. Vargas earned his PhD in Visual Arts from Université de Strasbourg in 2024, an MFA from Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht in 2010, and a specialist degree from Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá in 2007. He is represented by Galerie Lessirard in Strasbourg and has exhibited at Galerie Bertrand Gilig, Palais Universitaire de Strasbourg, and the Council of Europe. His next exhibition, 'Essays on Imperfection,' is set to debut in Lucerne this year.