Dino Urpí
The work of Costa Rican multi-media artist Dino Urpí (b. 1990), is a fusion of cultural and mythological influences, esoteric practices, rituals, and an affinity for the natural world, which spans the spectrum of artistic disciplines - from mask-making, performance, fashion and site-specific installations to large-scale murals, sculptural painted cut-outs and abstract paintings on canvas. The common threads unifying the various facets of his practice are bold color, texture, the frequent inclusion of ancestral elements and an undeniably vivid, tropical exuberance.
After graduating from high-school in San José, Costa Rica, Urpí relocated to the United States to pursue his BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art where he graduated with the highest honors in 2012. Before returning to his home country, he spent time living in New Orleans where he poured himself into the world of costume making and Mardi Gras - an experience which left a lasting impression on his visual and performative styles. In fact, many of Urpí’s themed performance pieces have a strong carnivalesque quality, with decadent costuming, audacious regalia and emancipating energy, expressed through processions and collective celebration. The corresponding performance for his most recent solo exhibition Ambrosia, featured his version of a delegation of Costa Rican shamanic deities performing mystical rites, alongside abstract paintings alluding to imaginary landscapes. In this particular body of work, the artist explores organic forms that suggest underwater realms or cosmic phenomena just as easily as interior landscapes of the human body. “As above, so below.”
Ambrosia closing performance with costume and mask design by the artist
Like his theatrical work, Urpí’s canvases and sculptural painted cut-outs are similarly infused with vivacious energy reminiscent of Yayoi Kusama’s hallucinatory style. Over the last several years, he has developed an extensive compendium of signs and symbols that echo ancient hieroglyphs on the one hand, but convey his own brand of contemporary magic on the other. His finished pieces, aptly called Talismans, Emblems or Amulets, act as thresholds to be crossed, offerings to be made, codes of honor to uphold, and invitations to explore the esoteric. The titles of these works and their groupings such as Seeds of Creativity, Eggs of Potential, Portals of Activation, Eyes of Protection and Flowers of Prosperity emphasize the artist’s regard for spiritual and energetic realms as well as Nature. His Oneiric Emblems, specifically, explore symbolism related to dream states and the journey into both the light and dark realms of the unconscious.
Most recently, in February, 2022, Urpí was the invited guest artist representing the brilliant biodiversity and colorful culture of Costa Rica through his vivid creations at London’s preeminent Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, during the 26th annual Orchid Festival. The artist oversaw a three part installation of over two-hundred unique hand-painted cut-outs that brought a highly original and lush flavor to the historic Princess of Wales Conservatory. The artist has written:
“Ethereal Nature is an emblematic collection of spirits, elementals, devas and other forces that work for balance, beauty and harmony on our planet. It serves as a threshold between the mundane world and that which is not perceived easily by the naked eye. These installations are intended to create an apotropaic effect and grant the viewers a dose of imagination, wonder and awe for the bountifulness of our Planet.”
Dino Urpi received his BFA and graduated summa cum laude from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2012, and obtained a postgraduate degree in Art for Social Inclusion from the University of Barcelona in 2017. He has lived for significant amounts of time in Baltimore, Vancouver, New Orleans and Barcelona and his time abroad has had a significant influence on his practice. His work has been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Costa Rica and internationally. He has been the recipient of several awards including the FIA Honorarios, San José, Costa Rica (2014); MICA Achievement Award, Baltimore, MD (2011); Printmaking Departmental Recognition Award, MICA, Baltimore, MD (2010); Starr Foundation Scholarship, The Starr Foundation, New York, NY (2008).
Featured Works
