Pablo Manrique
Pablo Manrique is a Colombian-born visual artist based in Brazil, known for his sophisticated and metaphysical approach to painting. His artistic journey bridges the realms of fantastical realism and lyrical abstraction, forming a body of work that is deeply spiritual, poetic, and visually striking.
Over the years, Manrique has developed a distinctive visual language grounded in a refined technical execution and a philosophical inquiry into the essence of form and energy. His earlier works drew heavily from the tradition of South American magical realism, but in recent years, his practice has evolved toward a more abstract and metaphysical direction.
In the exhibition The Part & the Whole, held in Brasília prior to Close to Primordial Energy, Manrique explored the mystical dimensions of the vegetal world and the sea, using them as metaphors for a unified cosmos. The show marked a return to orphic principles in painting, where abstraction becomes a means of accessing the spiritual unity underlying all visible forms. Through sophisticated layers of acrylic paint, he achieved effects reminiscent of watercolor transparencies, evoking a continuous metamorphosis of figures — where leaves become horses, waves become fish, and faces emerge from foliage. This exhibition was widely noted for its balance between figurative suggestions and abstract composition, reflecting a cosmological vision rooted in orphism and poetic intuition.
His most recent exhibition, Perto da Energia Primordial, represents a further leap into abstraction. Here, Manrique delves deeper into the elemental forces of nature, especially the primordial energy emanating from plant life and the sun. These paintings abandon recognizable imagery in favor of chromatic fields vibrating with latent energy. Through meticulously layered colors and dynamic compositions, he seeks to make visible the invisible — the vital forces that sustain all material forms. His canvases invite viewers into a contemplative space, pointing beyond sensory experience toward a Zen-like awareness of interconnectedness and impermanence.
Manrique’s work continues to resonate with critics and audiences alike for its depth, complexity, and commitment to a vision of art as a metaphysical act. As noted by art critic Walter Cezar Addeo, his paintings “do not reproduce the visible; they make the invisible visible.”
Pablo Manrique lives and works in Brazil, where he continues to exhibit widely and develop his unique visual and philosophical explorations through painting.
Exhibitions:
2024 - solo exhibition "Close to Primordial Energy", Superior Court of Justice Museum (Brasília,Brazil);
2020 - virtual exhibition "Resilience", 11th Week of Art, Culture and Literature (Curitiba, Brazil);
2020 - virtual exhibition "Resilience", Cervantes Institute (Brasília, Brazil);
2019 - solo exhibition "The Part & the Whole", Superior Court of Justice Museum (Brasília,Brazil);
2018 - solo exhibition "Colors of Silence", Cervantes Institute (Brasília,Brazil);
2017 - group show "Our Lady Aparecida - 300 years", National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida (Aparecida do Norte, Brazil);
2017 - solo exhibition "Imanência", Eros Miguel Conceição Gallery (Tiradentes, Brazil);
2016 - group show. Carrousel du Louvre (Paris, France);
2016 - group show, gallery Merlino Bottega d'Arte (Florence, Italy);
2016 - group show with Mario Mendonça and Gilberto Martins, atelier and gallery Manrique (Tiradentes,Brazil);
2016 - solo exhibition "Imanência", Embassy of Colombia (Brasília,Brazil);
2016 - group show during DuoJazz Festival, Sant'Ana Museum (Tiradentes, Brazil);
2015 - solo "Ouro e Alma", Cultural Centre - Yves Alves (Tiradentes, Brazil);
2015 - group show "Our Lady in Art", National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida (Aparecida do Norte, Brazil);
2015 - solo exhibition "GALOPA!", museum "Enrique Grau" (Bogotá , Colombia);
2015 - 13 Salón Nacional de Artistas, gallery "Casa Cuadrada" (Bogotá , Colombia);
2013 - mural in the Frei Galvão Seminary (Guaratinguetá, Brazil);
2010 - group show in MoMA Cartagena:
Pablo’s artworks have already been spread throughout the world in such countries as Russia, the United States of America, Cuba, Uruguay, Brazil (Mário Mendonça Art Institute, Superior Court of Justice, Embassy of Colombia) and his native Colombia (Palace of Justice and more).