Mateo Serna Zapata

Colombian-born, Miami-raised, Mateo is a photo-based artist. Growing up amongst a predominantly Latin culture, observing the striking humanistic similarities within the city serve as a muse to create work that emphasizes the beauty found within life. Being drawn to the peculiar exploration of the human experience, Mateo uses the camera as a tool to navigate through conversations that develop through organic interactions between people and the environment. Focusing on the premise that process is more important than product, the main drive of the artist rests within establishing a relationship with his subjects so that they, through dialogue unravel a guarded trust and thus illuminate their true essence. His work has been exhibited in Museum of Contemporary Art, New World Gallery, Cisneros-Fontanals Art Foundation, Mindy Solomon Gallery and Coral Gables Museum. Mateo received his BFA from University of Florida through New World School of the Arts. In 2019, he received the Artist Access Grant to study photography at Penumbra Foundation New York City. He is currently participating in an Artist Residency at the Bakehouse Art Complex.

Artist Website