Human artifacts and animals fill the subdued oil paintings of Miguel Escobar. And though many works appear without actual people, the artist is often exploring humanity through these desolate, beast-filled scenes.

“In my paintings I try to make images with concentration of reality but not the reality itself, with magic, memory, beauty and representing the human condition through symbolic elements and letting the viewer complete his own history by his experiences knowledge of art and history,” the artist says.

The 26-year-old Colombia native studied at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, with Odd Nerdrum in Norway, with David Manzur in Colombia, and with Vincent Desiderio in Belgium before settling in New York, where he now lives and works. The artist has taken part in group and solo shows in Sicily, Bogota, and Manizales.