MIAMI, FLA.- Mateo Blanco is an internationally recognized artist who spent his formative years in the city of Medellin, his parents hometown. He now lives and creates art in Florida. His unique take on art exemplified by his use of unexpected materials and innovative techniques makes his art a new kind of conceptual pop.

Blanco is a conceptual artist who has made a name for himself by creating vivid portraits with nontraditional materials. His work can be found in private collections and museums around the world, from Cape Town to Paris and beyond.

His use of unusual materials surprises and delights. Typography, another one of his interests,is another source of inspiration; he uses it to explore the art of the word.In fact, if you look closely at the background of the painting Wayuu you will see how he incorporates writing into his painting.

He started to become known for his unusual approach when creating series that focused on women who are cultural icons. His playful image of Lawrence, for example, was created by using 10,000 peanuts.

Why choose famous, immediately recognized figures such as pop singer Madonna and actress Jennifer Lawrence? "I have an admiration for strong women who make their mark on society," says the artist.

Women have been important in his artistic development. Blanco studied with Débora Arango, a once ignored, now acclaimed Colombian artist whose paintings of female nudes in early 1940s Medellin caused a terrible scandal. Her importance is now so recognized that her image is now immortalized on the 2,000 Colombian peso bill.

One of his most important works, "Hopi Girl",reflects his growing interest in exploring how women with indigenous roots make their presence felt. This sculpture, made from rope, pays homage to the Native American tribe and to his mother’s tribal ancestors.

His most recent piece, now on exhibit in Berne, titled “Wayuú'' by Mateo Blanco continues to explore this theme of our roots within cultures and the women who carry this heritage. It is a portrait of the Colombian journalist Andrea Zuleta. She is the proud bearer of her Wayuu ancestry and her features embody that unique legacy.

The Wayuu, a traditional indigenous community live in the desert of La Guajira on the frontier between Colombia and Venezuela, were once fierce warriors who battled the Spanish to keep their traditions alive. They were never conquered and today carry on living their beliefs and are known for their beautiful woven mochila bags.

With “Wayuú'' , Blanco creates a visual interpretation of how an ancient native culture can be present in the features of someone who is alive and acting in our society today. As an artist with Latin American blood he is aware that most people from that part of the world have, to some degree, indigenous blood, which historically many sought to deny, and hopes to make people reflect on their ties to ancient cultures.

This painting explores the theme of how contemporary women in today’s society can be living emblems and signifiers of older, native cultures and traditions.

The painting will be exhibited from the first week of October until the 26th of the same month at the Colombian Embassy in Bern ,Switzerland). Later the work will be exhibited in Bogotá.

“The subject, Andrea, is significant because she is a woman who does not forget her roots. I related to that because even though I now live and work as an American artist, I do not forget that my roots, my core, are Colombian. I believe it is always important to know our own culture and acknowledge its roots. I am not interested in stereotypes or in labeling people, but I am fascinated by the way all our stories stretch back over time. In this case I wanted to depict Andrea and transport myself through time with her features. To the best of my ability I tried to get as close as possible as I imagine she was in her childhood”,says the artist, Mateo Blanco.