ADELA
530 West 25th Street, New York, NY
Adela, a Colombian artist based in Bogotá and Cartagena, brings human emotion to life through powerful portraits and innovative recycled-material artworks.
Born into a family of artists and inspired by her great-uncle Pedro Nel Gómez, one of Latin America’s most renowned muralists, Adela has been painting since childhood.
Her work combines technical discipline with deep sensitivity, shaped by both classical training in Florence and her own life experiences.
During the pandemic, Adela found a new purpose for her art. While delivering food aid to communities in Cartagena, she began painting on site.
Just a few strokes of color softened fear and tension, replacing them with calm and connection. That moment revealed the true power of art: to transform, to unite, and to heal.
Working in charcoal, watercolor, pigment, and construction waste, Adela reimagines discarded materials as expressive artworks that honor memory, emotion, and humanity.
Her portraits, especially, aim to capture what unites us beyond words: our shared feelings and the universal language of expression. Adela’s art is an invitation to feel, remember, and connect.
Through her art, Adela invites us to go beyond what is seen, to enter the silent territory of emotions that we all have. Our capacity to feel love, to fear, to remember, to dream, that makes us profoundly human. Each portrait becomes a mirror where we recognize ourselves in others, dissolving distances and revealing the fragile, beautiful threads that connect us all.
My artistic vision is rooted in the interplay between intuition and structure, where emotions shape the creative process. I explore the duality of visual chaos and structured order, often repurposing discarded materials to redefine the relationship between humans and their environment.
Inspired by my great-uncle, Pedro Nel Gómez, one of Latin America’s most renowned artists, he was a painter, engineer, sculptor, and best known for his works as a muralist.
I began painting as a child. I created portraits using grids, explored painting with oil, starry nights, and the moon reflected on the sea. Over the years, I was guided by his books and later refined my techniques through self-taught exploration and formal training in Florence, Italy.
My work incorporates oil painting, drawing, and the Buon Fresco technique, as well as expressive blotting for portraiture—a skill honed under Colombian artist Chauta.
During the pandemic, I lived in Cartagena—an experience that marked a turning point in my life.
I took part in a social project that provided food to communities deeply affected by the crisis. In neighborhoods where fear, violence, and need were palpable, I discovered the transformative power of art.
Before distributing aid, I would enter with my drawings. Just a few strokes and a touch of color were enough to change the atmosphere—eyes lit up, smiles emerged, and for a moment, the anger became calmness. It was then that I understood that art not only expresses, it has the power to break barriers, heal, transform, and create meaningful human connections.
Thematically, my art navigates between memory, identity, and transformation— between the intimate and the social, the emotional and the aesthetic. By reimagining overlooked materials, I challenge perceptions of value and permanence, creating pieces that invite reflection on human impact and artistic reinvention.
