Nonuya artist Abel Rodríguez, the Artsy Vanguard alum known for representing the plants and animals of the Colombian Amazon in meticulously detailed drawings, has died in Bogotá. On Thursday, his representing gallery, Instituto de Visión, announced the artist’s passing on Instagram. Don Abel, as he was also known, was in his 80s or 90s (his birth year has been reported inconsistently: his CV lists 1941, but Instituto de Visión’s website states that he was born in 1934).
“Don Abel, a wise and generous teacher, leaves a rich legacy of knowledge, deep roots, and a profound love for life and the rainforest,” the gallery wrote on Instagram. “His spirit will continue to live on in the many lives he touched, and his teachings will continue to guide and nourish us for years to come.”
Rodríguez’s work, characterized by lush depictions of his home country’s natural landscape, has been recognized worldwide at various biennials in the past decade. He was featured at documenta 14 in 2017, the 34th São Paulo Biennial in 2021, and the 14th Gwangju Biennale in 2023, to name a few. In 2024, the artist presented work at the 60th Venice Biennale alongside his son, Aycoobo.
Born in La Chorrera, Colombia, in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, Rodríguez learned about local plants from his uncle, a sabedor—or “man of knowledge”—within the Nonuya community. Early on, he became an expert in the region’s endemic flora, collaborating with biologist Carlos Rodríguez and the Fundación Tropenbos Colombia, an international nonprofit focused on rainforest conservation through Indigenous knowledge. In the 1980s, Rodríguez worked as a scout and guide for the organization’s researchers until his family was displaced during the armed conflict of the ’90s. Once in Bogotá, he dedicated his time to translating his knowledge of the Amazon rainforest into his landscape drawings.
In 2008, Rodríguez’s work was presented in a group exhibition mounted by Museo Botero in Bogotá. By 2014, the artist was awarded the Prince Claus Award, which is dedicated to those who contribute positive societal impacts. His first institutional solo show was mounted by the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts in Gateshead, England, in 2020.
In recent years, Instituto de Visión has presented Rodríguez’s drawings at art fairs around the world, including Art Basel Miami Beach in 2024, The Armory Show in 2023, and Frieze London in 2020.
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