Aristides Ureña Ramos

ARISTIDES UREÑA RAMOS (1954)
Born in Santiago de Veraguas on February 24th. From a very early age, he dreamed of becoming an artist, telling us:
"At the beginning, my school was: the beautiful architecture of the Escuela Normal; the great mural canvases by Roberto Lewis in its grand hall; the Church of San Francisco de la Montaña," and, paradoxically, "the tales of witches and the countryside of the interior."
After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts of San Marco in Florence, Italy, in 1978, he specialized further, also in Florence, in lithography and printmaking at the "Reparata Graphic Art Center," and in Cinematography at the "Lorenzo di Medici Institute." He returned to Panama in 1979, where he taught at the Regional University of David as a professor in the Art History department, and at the School of Fine Arts of Chiriquí, where he was Director of the Visual Arts section.
In 1980, he moved permanently to Italy, where he lives in the beautiful city of Florence. There, he actively participates in solo and group exhibitions, as well as in happenings, performances, and installations. He has never stopped exhibiting in Panama, where audiences know him through exhibitions at Galería Arteconsult, Habitantes, Allegro, and his participation in the Panama Biennials.
His works have traveled throughout the Americas (Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, United States) and much of Europe, with notable participation in the Venice Biennials (1986, 1997, and 2001), among many others. Recognized by Florentine and European critics, he has created large-scale public murals such as "Facultad del Magisterio” (1977), “Los Grafitos Metropolitanos” (1982) in Florence and Pisa, and “La Historia Positiva del Hombre” (1988) in San Bartolo a Cintoia, Italy.
In Panama, he created for the Regional University Center of Veraguas a 4-meter-high by 14-meter-wide mural entitled “Tribute to Intellectuality” placed in the auditorium of the Santiago campus (2001). He also painted a beautiful allegory on the dome of Santo Tomás Hospital in Panama City, dedicated to “The Past, The Present, and The Future” of the nation (2003). In 2004, he completed a stunning mural for the Municipality of Santiago de Veraguas, encouraging young artists to engage with socially conscious painting, setting an example as both artist and mentor.
His prolific output led him to accept a commission for an altar cloth depicting the life of Saint Ignatius of Laconi, installed in the church of Laconi in Sardinia, commissioned by the Capuchin convent (Italy, March 2004).
In 1985, he produced a series of five videos projected at the "Parterre" in Florence, where Panama—through a socio-aesthetic analysis of its colonial enclave condition—became the protagonist of an event against racial segregation. This presentation marked the beginning of many projects across Europe.
In 2009, from Italy, he began work on a major project to decorate the atrium of UDELAS University in Santiago de Veraguas. From 2009 to 2013, he painted the monumental UDELAS Mural Complex: a historical mural series consisting of 16 panels on the “History of Teaching and Human Knowledge.”
In 2019, he created a mural for the Palacio de las Garzas, the presidential palace of Panama, for the Hall of Peace, titled: “Bridge of the World, Heart of the Universe,” which he completed in 2020.
In 2021, he produced a large altarpiece in MEMORY OF THOSE LOST TO COVID-19, installed in the Church of San Francisco de Asís in the San Felipe neighborhood of Panama, on the occasion of Panama’s Bicentennial Celebration. That same year, he painted a mural about the 1989 American invasion of Panama, installed in the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in the Chorrillo neighborhood.
Among the many awards he has received are:
The "Putto D'Oro Medal-Trophy" in Montesperto, Italy (1978)
"Lo Stivale" for his graphic work in Candeli, Italy (1980)
"Villaggio Artigianale-Signa" (1981)
The "Giovanni Angelico" Prize for Visual Arts in Florence (1992 and 1994)
The Kunst- en Kultuurkring International “MERITO GOLD MEDAL” - Flemish Brabant - COLOMA CASTLE KASTEEL, BELGIUM (2011).
His projects and works have earned numerous recognitions. Tireless in his creativity and production, his work is organized into cycles, each divided into series. Starting in 1983 with the cycle "El Ballet del Cabrón", he has explored diverse themes such as "Barrococonuances", "Clásicos 1999", his famous series "Tra-travel" and “I TOOK PANAMA” dedicated to the history of Panama: “A pictorial hymn where the artist’s love for his native land shines through.”
He continued with the "Alegorico's" cycle and gradually developed provocative and satirical series such as Vu Cumrap (1998), BANANA REPUBLIK, BANANANA. Since 2006, he has created pictorial cycles that emerged from the multiracial world titled “CRIOLLOS”, leading to:
"New Codex Criollo" (2006)
"KREOL CRIOLLO" (2010)
"CRISP CREOLE" (2012)
"CREOLE ALBROOK" (2014)
"CREOLE PANAMA" (2016)
"REPUBLICA POPULAR DE PANAMA" (2018)
"PANAMA PEPPER" (2019)
He continues his brilliant artistic career through the constant creation of these intriguing Cycles. Each “Pictorial Cycle” is accompanied by videos, installations, image manipulations, and immersive environments, which have led him to continuous linguistic experimentation.
His works are a “Library” of references, developing through various interpretative contexts and manifested through the act of archiving, classifying, and cataloging collective memories, roots, and their meanings—thus transcending the limitations of expressive languages.
Arístides is one of the few truly multidisciplinary Latin American artists. His activities also include writing articles and essays on contemporary art published in various art journals. In 2010, he wrote weekly for a year in La Estrella de Panamá, and since 2018, he contributes to Café Estrella of La Estrella de Panamá. He also enjoys writing folk tales and composing music in his spare time, for which he has received well-deserved praise and awards from international critics.