Diana Beltrán

Diana Beltrán, Born in 1978
Bogotá - Colombia 
Visual Artist

Education:
2008 MA in Photography EFTI Madrid
Spain 2006 Faculty of Arts National University of Colombia

About this artist

Diana Beltrán was born in Bogotá in 1978 and holds a Master of Fine Arts from the National University of Colombia. She is primarily known for her work in photography, though her artistic practice also spans sculpture and engraving.

Over the years, she has exhibited extensively in solo and group shows across Colombia, Spain, the USA, Germany, Peru, Venezuela, Singapore, and Dubai. Her work is held in numerous private and institutional collections in Chile, Colombia, the USA, Panama, Spain, Mexico, Peru, the UK, and the UAE.

Beltran’s artistic career began with a group exhibition at the Art Museum of the National University of Colombia, curated by Gustavo Zalamea, where she presented alongside prominent Colombian artists such as Beatriz González and Bernardo Salcedo. After graduating with honors, she pursued a master's in fine art photography at EFTI in Madrid, where her thesis work was featured in PhotoEspaña 2008. That same year, she was awarded first prize in the Novell Dove photography competition.

In 2010, she returned to Colombia for a solo exhibition at the Chamber of Commerce titled Photo Dimensions, and in 2013, she was featured in Emerging Generation, curated by Eduardo Serrano. Since then, she has continued to exhibit widely, exploring photography as a medium to investigate existential themes. She currently lives and works in Bogotá.

Artist Statement 

I view myself as a full-time observer and interpreter of visual culture. My artistic journey has led me through various mediums, but I find my strongest resonance in photography. It is within this medium that I reconstruct and reimagine reality—becoming, in a sense, an architect of faces and identities. By assembling and layering photographic elements, I seek out deeper truths hidden within the image.

At the core of my practice is the exploration of portraiture and identity. I’m drawn to the ever-evolving nature of the individual and the physical body—its fragility, form, and symbolic significance. For me, the body is both material and mutable, a surface on which experience is written. Photography, with its ability to create alternate realities, becomes my tool for examining these narratives—a mirror reflecting both illusion and essence.

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2018 – The Unknown and the Underwater, NGV Kids Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

  • 2016 – Physical Correspondence, Espacio El Dorado Gallery, Bogotá, Colombia

  • 2016 – The Beauty of a Cardboard World, Galerie Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp, Belgium

  • 2013 – Papel Vital, Proyecto Circo, Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia

Selected Group Exhibitions

  • 2024 – Flying Sculptures, Arte Sano Gallery, Mexico

  • 2023 – The Paper, Shanghai Exhibition Centre, China

  • 2023 – Paper Made, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia

  • 2022 – The Message is the Medium, Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá, Colombia

  • 2022 – Paper Trail, Espacio El Dorado, Bogotá, Colombia

  • 2021 – The Power of Paper, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, UK

  • 2021 – Beyond Paper: Contemporary Practices, Craft Council Gallery, London, UK

  • 2019 – Material of Memory, Zona Maco, Mexico City, Mexico

  • 2018 – Earth Matters, Design Museum, London, UK

  • 2017 – New Worlds, Somerset House, London, UK

  • 2015 – Paper Art Biennale, Lucca Biennale, Lucca, Italy

  • 2015 – World of Paper, CODA Museum, Apeldoorn, Netherlands

Awards and Honors

  • 2020 – Paper Artist of the Year, Paper Craft Magazine, UK

  • 2019 – Visual Arts Grant, Ministry of Culture, Colombia

  • 2018 – Artist Residency, NGV, Melbourne, Australia

  • 2016 – Winner, Arte Joven Visual Arts Award, Colombia

  • 2015 – Highly Commended, International Paper Biennale, Netherlands

Catalogues and Publications

  • 2023 – The Paper Revolution, Thames & Hudson, London

  • 2021 – Sculpting Nature: The Art of Diana Beltran, Espacio El Dorado, Bogotá

  • 2019 – Contemporary Paper Artists, Gestalten Publishing

  • 2018 – Earth Matters, Exhibition Catalogue, Design Museum London

  • 2015 – Paper Biennale 2015, CODA Museum

Lectures and Talks

  • 2024 – Artist Talk, Shanghai Art Week, China

  • 2022 – Paper as Narrative, Central Saint Martins, London

  • 2020 – Sculpting with Nature, Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín, Colombia

  • 2018 – Beyond the Surface, NGV Melbourne

  • 2016 – Crafting the Contemporary, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá

Editorials and Press Coverage

  • The Guardian (UK) – “The Delicate Power of Paper” (2021)

  • BBC Arts – Feature on contemporary Latin American artists (2020)

  • The New York Times Style Magazine – Artist to Watch: Diana Beltran (2019)

  • Domus Magazine (Italy) – “Paperwork that Transforms Space” (2018)

  • Elle Decoration (UK) – “Art from the Unexpected” (2017)

  • Colossal – “Hyper-Real Paper Birds by Diana Beltran” (2016)

  • Hi-Fructose – “Diana Beltran’s Cardboard Cosmos” (2015)

View Diana's Dubai collection of available artworks here