Federico Torres De Los Rios

Abstract painting with swirling, vivid colors of red, turquoise, and brown, resembling organic forms, handprints, and flowing textures, evoking a sense of movement and dynamic energy throughout the composition.

Nainuema 2023, ash, sand, pigments, oil on canvas, 220 × 270 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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Abstract painting with swirling, vivid colors of red, turquoise, and brown, resembling organic forms, handprints, and flowing textures, evoking a sense of movement and dynamic energy throughout the composition.

Mohán 2023, ash, paper collage, ink, pigments, oil on canvas, 160 × 140 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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An abstract painting with earthy and golden tones, featuring swirling organic shapes, textured layers, fish forms, leaves, and a bright circular element near the bottom left, creating a dynamic, otherworldly scene.

Yitoma Yadiko 2022, ash, sand, oil on canvas, 240 × 160 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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A surreal painting shows abstract, organic forms. Central figures resemble cloaked entities with handprints, surrounded by swirling, textured shapes, snake-like bodies, and vibrant colors evoking nature, mystery, and transformation.

Yadiko 2022/2023, ash, sand, oil on canvas, 200 × 240 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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A surreal painting of a yellow, curled-up frog surrounded by swirling, organic shapes and vivid colors. Pink, leaf-like structures, tangled textures, and abstract forms create an intense, dreamlike atmosphere.

The Healer 2022, ash, charcoal, oil on canvas, 185 × 170 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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A surreal, abstract painting featuring organic, swirling shapes with vivid greens, yellows, and deep shadows. The central form resembles an eye or cell, surrounded by intricate vein-like textures and hints of skull shapes.

Seed 2021, ash, charcoal, oil on canvas, 140 × 190 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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Charcoal drawing of a large, central organic shape resembling a flower petal or mushroom, surrounded by folded, textured layers. Dark shading contrasts with lighter highlights, creating depth and dramatic shadows.

Bejí Flowers 2023/2024, charcoal, 29,7 × 40,0 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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A detailed black and white drawing of an abstract, organic vertical with intricate textures on it, set against a dark background, and a tense contrast between light and shadow.

Bejí Flowers 2023/2024, charcoal, 29,7 × 40,0 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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Abstract watercolor painting featuring a swirling blend of black, blue, and white, creating a circular, cosmic or nebula-like effect with textured brushstrokes and soft color transitions.

Untitled 2021, ink, 15 × 21 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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Abstract watercolor painting of a swirling blue and white spiral on a dark background, resembling a galaxy or hurricane, with textured brushstrokes and soft blending of colors.

Untitled 2021, ink, 15 × 21 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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Abstract watercolor painting featuring an irregular oval shape in brown, yellow, and orange tones with a dark outline, creating a textured, organic appearance on a light background.

Germination 2021, water color, 21,0 × 29,7 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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A watercolor painting of an abstract heart shape, featuring uneven edges and a mix of brown, black, yellow, and pink tones blending together on a white background.

Germination 2021, water colour, 21,0 × 29,7 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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Abstract black and gray watercolor painting with textured patterns, branching lines, and occasional splashes of white and hints of orange, resembling a cosmic or geological landscape.

Tapi (where the Shaman sits) 2023, water colours, charcoal, 40 × 50 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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Abstract painting with vivid swirling colors, featuring fiery orange and yellow shapes at the center, cooler blue and green tones around, and white textured forms resembling icicles or stalactites at the top. The scene feels otherworldly.

Jifaide 2024, ash, sand, charcoal, pigments, wax, oil on canvas, 200 × 200 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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Abstract painting with swirling, vibrant colors including green, blue, pink, and white. Organic, vein-like patterns radiate from a central blue, circular shape, creating a sense of movement and fluidity throughout the image.

Furnamilani 2024/2025, ash, pigments, oil on canvas, 200 × 250 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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A charcoal drawing of a distressed face with closed eyes and hands covering it, blending into vertical streaks resembling rain. At the bottom, swirling circular lines suggest a pool or spiral, adding to the somber mood.

The dreaming god (Mohán) 2023, pencil, pastel, charcoal, 29,7 × 40,0 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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A pencil drawing of a human figure lying on the ground, positioned horizontally at the bottom. Above the figure, abstract streaks and dark, cloudy shapes radiate upward, creating a dramatic, stormy effect.

The dreaming god (Muerte sin fin) 2023, pencil, pastel, charcoal, 29,7 × 40,0 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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A black and white abstract image showing textured patterns; the left side is dark and rough with branching, vein-like lines, while the right side is lighter with soft circular shapes and scattered fine marks.

The dreaming god 2023, pencil, pastel, charcoal, 40,0 × 29,7 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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A vibrant, surreal painting features two mirrored, hybrid creatures with feline faces, green snake-like bodies, blue feather accents, skeletal arms, and swirling, organic forms against a fiery yellow and orange background.

Unao 2021, oil on canvas, 180 × 150 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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An abstract drawing of an oval shape resembling a swirling galaxy with light and dark tones, surrounded by a rough golden outline. Above, dark, chaotic lines extend upward, suggesting smoke or flames.

The dreaming god 2023, ink, wash, ash, charcoal, paper collage, 29,7 × 40,0 cm, photo: Daniel Paez Castillo

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Federico Torres De Los Rios,
photo: Federico Torres De Los Rios

Biography

  • 1998

    born in Pasto, CO

  • since 2019

    Study of Painting at Weißensee Academy of Art Berlin

  • 2010–2014

    Study of the basics and experiments of graphic drawing, with Prof. Juan Carlos Jiménez Garcés at Universidad de Nariño, CO

Jury statement

Once opaque, primarily impenetrable, Federico Torres De Los Rios delivers his paintings and drawings through a slow development of sensuality. The jury is keen to understand the cosmic conditions from which these abstractions, conceptions, and constellations of images and gestures emerge.
Self-described as an image-maker, the artist’s adventures on the canvas can be associated with his biographical and cultural lineage with shamans and the in/tangible heritage of the Colombian Amazon. The jury appreciates his visual language and welcomes it as a productive addition and tension in the history of painting, especially in Germany.

As these works of art translate cosmic visions, Torres De Los Rios configures how memory and myth create a spiritual landscape where his artistic pathos can thrive. He positions the pictorial form as a living entity. The universe of Torres De Los Rios is unfamiliar to many moderns, including the jury and his fellow artists. We are humbled by this infectious unknown.

Renan Laru-an, jury member

Exibitions

  • 2025

    27th Federal Competition Federal Prize for Art Students, Bundeskunsthalle Bonn

  • 2020

    Commission for an illustration on shamanism, Universidad del Valle, Cali, CO

  • 2016

    The Garden of the Beasts, Pinacoteca de la Gobernacion de Nariño, Pasto, CO

Grants and awards

  • 2025

    Federal Prize for Art Students, Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth

Bundespreis für Kunststudierende 2025