Andrés Monzón-Aguirre is an artist whose work explores themes of collective memory in sculpture, painting, and social practice. He received an MFA from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (2019) and a BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design (2009). He received merit-based scholarships from both institutions. He has been a resident artist with the Museo del Norte de Santander (Villa del Rosario, 2016) and Fundación Casa Tres Patios (Medellin, 2015). Amongst his awards are Apoyos Concertados Para el Arte y La Cultura from the city of Medellin (2014) and an exhibition travel grant by the Prince Claus Fund (2013). His work has been exhibited in the International Art Encounter MDE15 (Medellin, 2015), and the Bienal de Bucaramanga (Bucaramanga, 2015, 2020). Other recent exhibitions include ‘Figurative Works from the Master of Fine Arts Collection’ (2020) at the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum; ‘Salón de Ceramistas’ (2019) at the Chamber of Commerce, Medellin; ‘Here Beyond’ (2019) at Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, New York; and ‘VEILED’ (2018) at District Clay Gallery, Washington D.C.

Andrés is also known as director of the Campos de Gutiérrez Foundation, an organization that develops projects to facilitate cultural exchange and education in Medellin.

His work explores the negotiations that surround the construction and preservation of memory and cultural identity. His work sometimes explores elements of identity, while mixing them with abstract forms that bring to mind the iconography and traditions of Latin American popular culture. His work is characterized by the purity and solidness of his forms. This language, at the same time moves towards the creation of a series of still lifes that refer to the way in which fruits and vegetables are arranged in the markets, elevating this organizational gesture to a monolithic sculptural object, which formally refers to the tropic, to the public space and to the Quimbaya goldwork.