Photo of Otto Apuy, Photo Courtesy of Otto Apuy.

One of Costa Rica’s foremost current artists is Otto Apuy.  A multifaceted conceptual artist, Apuy works in painting, sculpture, drawing, literature, installation and video art.

Apuy is quite prolific, since 1975, he has participated in more than one hundred individual and collective exhibitions.   In contemporary art, he has pioneered video art, installations, 3D works, public art, and performance art. Apuy has published 10 books of literature, poetry, short history, and novels.

Apuy won the National Prize Aquileo J. Echeverría in 1977, this prize is awarded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Costa Rica for work in the arts.  In 1985, he won the Grand Prize of the biennials Cervecería Costa Rica. In 2000, Apuy was the recipient of the Predilec son from Cañas.  

Apuy is the pride of Cañas, a small ranching town, located off the Pan American highway in the northern part of the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica.  He was born July 31, 1948 in Cañas, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.  In 1970, he moved to San Jose to study in the School of Communications at the University of Costa Rica.  In 1974, he relocated to Barcelona, Spain, to study Fine Arts, and returned to Costa Rica in 1985. He has participated in numerous courses and seminars and has also written for magazines and newspapers and spoken at conferences in Costa Rica and abroad.

One of his most spectacular works is the Iglesia de Cañas, (Cañas Church).  Apuy designed and directed the envelopment of the entire church in colorful mosaic tile, which has put Cañas, on the map as a place to visit.  In a country of many beautiful and impressive churches, this one has to be at the top of almost every list.  Apuy has used both whole and broken tiles in glossy, vibrant colors to depict both religious and abstract themes. The church's central tower, which is entirely covered in mosaic, is nearly 30m (100 ft.) tall.  Estimates indicate that more than a million pieces of ceramic were employed  in the work. The church is located in the center of town, just a few blocks off the highway.
 

• 
  Travel 101: Why Live in Costa Rica?
• Costa Rica is the happiest place on the planet
• Travel 101: The Birds of Costa Rica Part 1
• Travel 101: The Birds of Costa Rica Part II  Hummingbirds, Scarlet Macaw, Magpie Jay and Cattle Egret
• Travel 101: The Birds of Costa Rica Part II Montezuma Oropendola, Quetzal, Toucan and Brown Booby
• Travel 101: The Monkeys of Costa Rica

More of the Costa  Examiner's articles 

Lynn Farris | Create Your Badge

Free Twitter Icons