Simón Vega


Simón Vega creates drawings, ephemeral sculptures and installations inspired in the informal, self-made architecture and vendor carts found in the streets and marginal zones of El Salvador and Central America. These works, assembled with wood, cardboard, plastic and found materials often parody famous Modernist and mythological buildings and cities, surveillance systems as well as high-tech robots and satellites developed by NASA and the Soviet Space Program during the Cold War, creating an ironic and humorous fusion between first and third world, while commenting on the effects of that conflict in today’s Central America.

Born in San Salvador, El Salvador in 1972, Simon Vega graduated in Fine Arts at the University of Veracruz in Mexico in 2000 and received a Master´s degree in Contemporary Arts from the Complutense University in Madrid in 2006.

He has exhibited his work extensively in Europe, the United States and Latin America, including the 55th Venice Biennial in Italy, the IX Havana Biennial, in Cuba, the Museo del Barrio’s “The S-Files” show in New York in 2011 and at the Bronx River Art Center in 2008, both in New York City, as well as at the Hilger BROT Kunsthalle in Vienna, Austria (2010 & 2012). He currently lives in La Libertad, El Salvador.

Selected Works

Colorful 3D mosaic sculpture of a human face made from painted wooden pieces and screws on a wooden base.

Lost Rubber Totem, 2021, Wood, nails, found rubber sandals, varnish, 18 x 7 x 4.5 inches

A sculpture resembling a rifle made from wood, metal, and black material, mounted on a white wall.

Cold War Tropical Timeline, 2014, Found wood, metal hinges, plastic thread, 53x13x3 in.

Street art painting of a stylized, monstrous figure with long hair, large earrings, and an open mouth with sharp teeth, using a laptop.

Networking Sycorax, 2021, Acrylic on Canvas, 55 x 43 in.

An abstract painting features a person with a face made of geometric shapes, surrounded by a background of blue water and sky. The person wears a complex patterned dress blending into the water, with large fluffy blonde hair. Two additional paintings of tropical landscapes with palm trees and water flank the central figure.

Sycorax Island, 2022, Acrylic on Canvas, 55 x 63 in.

EXHIBITIONS