Costa Rica

The artwork unfolds through richly textured pink, crossed by blues, greens, white and flashes of yellow. Curving masses are divided by narrow verticals, pointed forms and interlocking geometric passages. Dense impasto creates a vibrant surface, while detached elements and white space give the composition openness and rhythm. Its layered colours and interconnected divisions can be read as evoking Costa Rica’s biodiversity, cultural plurality and position between two great oceans.

Costa Rica lies between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, forming a mountainous bridge between North and South America. Indigenous societies long inhabited the region before Spanish colonisation. Independence came in 1821, and the country later developed a strong civic tradition, notably abolishing its army in 1948. Its volcanoes, forests and exceptional biodiversity remain central to its national character. Costa Rican culture combines Indigenous, European, African-Caribbean and later migrant influences. Spanish is the principal language, alongside Indigenous languages and varieties of English in some communities. Music, dance, literature, painted oxcart traditions, architecture and contemporary arts reflect this plurality, while environmental stewardship has become an internationally recognised aspect of national identity.