BE OPEN Art congratulates the winners of the Regional Art Competition in Central America

LONDON, Oct. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — BE OPEN Art, an online art gallery set up by BE OPEN think tank, a humanitarian initiative founded by Austria-based international businessperson and philanthropist Elena Baturina, is running a new competition for emerging artists, aimed to support those whose art best represents their regional, cultural and ethnic identities – BE OPEN Regional Art.

Throughout 2024, BE OPEN expert community continues selecting artists to feature them in the BE OPEN Art gallery and offer greater visibility. The third stage of the second year of the programme run covered the countries of Central America: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

Raúl Cárcamo, a freelance artist and illustrator from El Salvador currently based in Dublin, Ireland, was selected the Regional Artist of the Month in July. A Honduran visual artist Isabella González, a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, became the second candidate in August. In September, Wilson Ilama, a visual artist based in Costa Rica, was chosen as the Regional Artist of the Month receiving the highest number of votes from visitors of the BE OPEN Art online gallery. Through his unique use of colour and form, Ilama presents a serene vision of landscapes, creating a naive portrayal where nothing competes for attention.

Based on the amount of votes, Isabella González became the Artist of the Region for Central America. Isabella González was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. In 2020, she received her double B.F.A. in Painting and Fibers at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Her art pieces involve different layers of fabric embroidered as an intention to mend herself. While her artistic production is deeply grounded in the handmade Isabella’s work relates to the acceptance of living between two extremes, physically and emotionally. BE OPEN will now award Isabella with a €500 grant.

Founder of BE OPEN Elena Baturina selected her favourite among the Central American artists: Aziel Barrientos is an artist from Tegucigalpa, a graduate from Universidad Católica de Honduras.

In October, the focus of the competition moved to Southern Africa. The regional competition runs alongside the regular ongoing work of BE OPEN Art, whose experts every month select 20 new artists for the gallery, and the public names the Artist of the Month and Year.

SOURCE BE OPEN Foundation