Jorge Velarde

Jorge Velarde (Guayaquil, Ecuador, 1960) is a Contemporary Latin American painter from Ecuador. Velarde has been drawing and painting since he was a child. At the age of 15 Velarde knew that he was meant to be a painter.

Velarde is a co-founder of Artefactoría, a group of artists that began working together in 1982 after graduating from the School of Fine Arts in Guayaquil. Artefactoría primarily consists of Velarde, Marcos Restrepo, Pedro Dávila, Xavier Patiño, Marco Alvarado, Flavio Álava, Paco Cuesta, as well as, Cuban artists Saidel Brito and Lupe Alvarez. The artists of Artefactoría are inspired by Surrealism, focusing on a divorce from reality and a love for the unconscious and fantasy.

In 1985, Velarde's participation with the group was put on hold after his marriage to Anabela Garcez and his move to Madrid to study cinema. While Velarde is passionate about cinema he quickly realized that it was not for him and so he returned to his love of painting. Velarde is both known for his portraits and his more contemporary art works. His portraits have often portrayed his wife as the subject. Velarde has held numerous exhibitions throughout Latin America and Spain.

elective Individual Exhibitions

*2008 "Odd y yo" Fundacion cerulio y alegria. Guayaquil.
*2007 "entre telas" Briz Sanchez. Guayaquil.
*2006 "entre maderas" Muebleria palito. Guayaquil.
*2005 "antologia de ....." Imaginarte. guayaquil
*2004 "otra vez yo" Galería Todo Arte. Guayaquil, Ecuador.
*2004 "yo vs.saloneros" Mijares Art Galery, Miami, EE UU.
*2003 "no soy artista, soy artesano" Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno. Cuenca Ecuador.
*2003 "no se quê diablos soy". Universidad Católica. Guayaquil, Ecuador
*2001 "soy artesano?" Galería DPM. Guayaquil, Ecuador.
*2000 "puede que no sea artista" Galería Municipal Pancho Fierro. Lima, Perú.
*2000 "no me hagas caso" Galería Madeleine Hollaender. Guayaquil, Ecuador.
*2000 "la institucion y yo" La Galería. Quito, Ecuador
*1998 "ponle ocre" La Casa de las Galerías. Cuenca, Ecuador.
*1996 "que me importan los otros" La Galería. Quito, Ecuador.
*1995 "soy artista" Museo Antropológico del Banco Central del Ecuador .Guayaquil, Ecuador.
*1994 "yo, yo, yo y tambien yo" Galería La Manzana Verde. Guayaquil, Ecuador.
*1993 "yo yo y yo" Galería Madeleine Hollaender. Guayaquil, Ecuador.
*1992 "yo" Galería La Manzana Verde. Quito, Ecuador.
*1992 "yo" Galería La Manzana Verde. Guayaquil, Ecuador

Awards & Medals

*1993 - First Prize, Hall Julio, Guayaquil, Ecuador