Franklin Collao
Tijuana, 1982
Franklin Collao has a degree in fine arts from the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Tijuana campus. He has been selected in the XX Rufino Tamayo Biennial (2025) and the XV Rufino Tamayo Painting Biennial (2012). He has been a beneficiary of the Jóvenes Creadores scholarships of the Stimulus Program for Artistic Creation and Development of Baja California (2006). He has been part of multiple selections in biennials, group exhibitions and art fairs. His most recent solo exhibition is entitled Queen Abstraction at Cardi Gallery (Milan, 2020). He was also part of the group exhibition entitled Tabula Rasa at Consigna Gallery (Mexico City, 2025). His work is developed mainly in the discipline of painting. He lives and works between the cities of Lago di Como and Mexico City.
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Collao’s practice explores the limits of painting, reimagining it as a dynamic rather than static medium. Specializing in oil painting, he has developed a unique sfumato technique that mimics the appearance of digital or airbrushed images, but is achieved entirely by hand: he uses brushes, oil, and a slow, deliberate process. In an age where technology can generate images instantly, his work invites us to reconsider time, labor and authenticity in image making. Collao’s mastery of color and technique works as a subtle form of seduction, challenging our perception of reality and taking traditional painting into a softer, more fluid visual language that projects an optimistic future.
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