CV & Exhibitions

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Professional Profile

Juan Butten is a multidisciplinary artist born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, working in painting, sculpture, drawing, and writing. He is known for his innovative sculptural installations made from solid waste materials, as well as his diverse painting series. His most notable project, La Balsa, has been exhibited across multiple cities and countries, establishing him as a reference point for sustainability through art. In 2025, he received the BRIO Award in Visual Arts / Mixed Media from the Bronx Council on the Arts.

Selected Exhibitions

2004 — Agro & Nature Painting, Instituto Agrario Dominicano
2005 — Illustration, Agenda Copel S.A.
2006 — Creativos México, video art
2007 — Transgresiones Morfológicas, Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano, DR
2008 — Catarsis, Comisión Nacional de la UNESCO, DR
2019–2023 — FASE UNO, Centro Cultural de España, DR
May–Sept. 2024 — Casas + Islas, Punto Urban Art Museum, Salem, MA
Oct. 2024 — Id Libitum, Aedra Fine Art Exhibition, New York
Nov.–Dec. 2024 — 20th Annual Small Works Show, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn — curated by Pam Wong
Aug. 20, 2025 — La Balsa Screening, Bronx Library Center Auditorium, Kingsbridge
Feb. 11–Mar. 15, 2026 — BRIO Retrospective (2021–2025), Bronx River Art Center (BRAC)

Awards & Recognition

2025 — BRIO Award, Visual Arts / Mixed Media, Bronx Council on the Arts, NY
2024 — Finalist, Homiens Award, Fall Exhibition, NY

Publications

Antes de Partir — poetry, 2007
Concilio de Voces — poetry, 2009
El Pollo que Aprendió a Volar — fables, 2012
Por Amor a Cecilia — novel, 2013
Esperanza de Libertad — 2015
KOALA: Crónicas del Abismo — unpublished

Education

Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santo Domingo — 1999
Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD), Fine Arts — 2006
Centro Educativo Microgallery, Digital Art — 2003

Memberships

Colegio Dominicano de Artistas Plásticos (CODAP) — since 2005
Founder of La Colmena, a collective dedicated to research and outreach in visual art

Artistic Focus

Juan Butten explores the intersection of environmental issues, community, and contemporary art, with a particular focus on the global plastic crisis. Using recycled materials and urban and beach waste, his work reflects on humanity’s impact on nature.