Nicolás Cadavid, artist and professor and a graduate of the Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts at Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS), has been selected as one of the four nominees for the XIV Luis Caballero Prize, one of Colombia’s leading recognitions for contemporary art. He is the first artist born in Santander to become part of the history of this prestigious prize, established in 1996.
The artistic career of a UIS graduate and professor will take center stage in one of Colombia’s most important contemporary art events. Nicolás Cadavid is one of the four artists selected for the XIV Luis Caballero Prize, which this edition will bring four large-scale artistic projects to Bogotá’s Galería Santa Fe.
For Universidad Industrial de Santander, Cadavid’s nomination recognizes his artistic career and the training he received in the university’s Fine Arts program, where he later joined the academic community as a professor. His nomination also marks a milestone for contemporary art in Santander: Cadavid is the first artist born in the department to receive a nomination for the Luis Caballero Prize.
‘Brillo de un momento’: territory, myth and memory
Cadavid will participate in the XIV Luis Caballero Prize with ‘Brillo de un momento’, a project that emerged from research conducted in the Guanentá Province of Santander, focusing on stories about a fantastic creature associated with an ancient route connecting Berlín and Cabrera.
The project brings together drawing, video and sculpture to construct a landscape shaped by memory, myth and desire. Through six large-scale interventions, the artist explores how stories, expectations and imaginaries influence the way people relate to the territories they inhabit and travel through.
Rather than reconstructing a legend, ‘Brillo de un momento’ uses the figure of the fantastic creature as a starting point for reflecting on the constant search for promises such as progress, happiness and transcendence.
The project will bring to Bogotá a body of research rooted in a Santander territory and will explore, through contemporary art, the narratives that communities construct around the places they inhabit and the stories associated with them.
Four projects selected for the Luis Caballero Prize
The XIV Luis Caballero Prize will feature four projects at the Galería Santa Fe during 2027. Each nominated artist will develop an individual exhibition conceived specifically for the gallery.
After the four exhibitions conclude, a new jury will evaluate the projects and select the winner of the XIV Luis Caballero Prize.
Nicolás Cadavid’s nomination places the work of an artist trained at UIS and currently part of its academic community within one of the most significant contemporary art processes in Colombia. It also brings a research project rooted in the landscapes, stories and imaginaries of Santander to a national audience.
