Gisela Colón (b. 1966) creates abstract, luminescent sculptures inspired by the natural world. A contemporary Puerto Rican-American artist based in Los Angeles, Colón looks to the energies and patterns found in nature and the cosmos, bringing together feminist and ecological histories as well as scientific principles in her art. Her sculptures not only build on the artistic legacies of Minimalism, Light and Space, and Land Art, but also capture her experiences with the mountainous terrain of her childhood in Puerto Rico and the sublime vistas of her adoptive homeland of California.

Although Colón began her career as a painter, she has worked in sculpture for over a decade, collaborating with partners in the aerospace and scientific communities to find new applications for engineered materials such as plastics, environmentally-sustainable carbon fiber, and green resins. Through her years of experimentation, Colón invented a method of “structural color,” layering and laminating materials together to create sculptures with ever-changing colors that are activated by light, inspired by her formative years in Puerto Rico.

Gisela Colón: Radiant Earth presents a primer on Colón’s work, featuring eight sculptures, including her biomorphic Pods, filled with layers of radiant colors that glow from within, and her monumental Monoliths. These tall, freestanding, obelisk forms appear both ancient and futuristic, drawing on Puerto Rico’s geological formations, historic cultural artifacts, and cosmic phenomena. The Monoliths contain swirling constellations of natural, iridescent pigments that mirror dynamics found in nature, galaxies, and deep space. Together, these artworks represent Colón’s profound connection to the Earth, the luminous landscapes of Puerto Rico and California, and the transformative power of the natural world.

Gisela Colón: Radiant Earth is organized by guest curator Dr. Danielle O’Steen.

Gisela Colón (American, b. Puerto Rico, b. 1966)
Plasmatic Rhomboid (Mercury), 2024
Blow-molded acrylic, 72 x 36 x 10 in (182.9 x 91.5 x 25.4 cm)
Courtesy of the Artist and Efraín López Gallery
©️Gisela Colón Studio

Gisela Colón (American, b. Puerto Rico, 1966)
Monolito Parabólico Phytoplankton (Cuenca Hidrográfica del Bosque Tropical de El Yunque, Luquillo, Puerto Rico), 2024
Aurora particles, stardust, cosmic radiation, intergalactic matter, ionic waves, organic carbamate, earth matter, gravity, energy, and time, 98.5 x 24 x 12 in (250.2 x 61 x 30.5 cm)
Courtesy of the Artist
©️ Gisela Colón Studio