Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla De Lara.
Hi karla, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Karla de Lara (born July 10, 1972 in Guadalajara) is a painter, sculptor, muralist and poet, with an active international career, creator of a unique style called hyperrealist pop art and her own technique, already patented.
Karla de Lara’s transcendence is not exhausted in the foundation of hyperrealist pop art, a revolutionary style that shows a unique perspective and point of view by capturing through dots and spots an image that in the distance looks totally realistic, challenging the established norms and camping the souls of those she portrays. This is why she has been named “The Mother of Hyperrealistic Pop Art” (a new movement in art).
Throughout her extensive career, Karla de Lara has incessantly explored new paths, creating her own technique based on inks and waxes, which makes her unique. He has been developing his different artistic facets at a pace in line with the speed of the cultural and technological changes of our time.
Her mastery of art, her techniques and her thirst for experimentation have led her to revolutionize her artistic development with the implementation of radical ideas using all kinds of materials.
Karla de Lara could be said to live several parallel artistic lives, influencing all facets of the art of the new millennium and embodying the restlessness and receptivity of the contemporary artist like no other. She is recognized as one of the greatest exponents of contemporary art of the last decade.
De Lara works mainly in large formats, delving into an exhaustive review of a large part of the current plastic heritage, from the Renaissance to the present day, paying homage to the great masters.
Multi-awarded, winner of the first place of the nations of Venice (2018), creator of the largest mural in Latin America, at Expo Guadalajara (2017), with work (both murals and monumental sculpture), in the collections of several foundations, governments and museums around the world, Doctor in Honoris Causa by the ONU for her contributions to art, culture and humanity. Its mission has been since its inception to extol the values of Mexican art, and its people in the world, where it has conquered the art markets in around 40 countries, with a wide network of collectors in the 5 continents.
Invited by the governments of Mexico and the United States to represent the Art of the Bicentennial of their diplomatic relations between 2022 and 2023, in numerous venues including the White House.
She is the only living artist with a permanent work in the National Museum of History in Mexico City.
Invited in 2023 to create “The Heart of Tonalá,” a monumental sculpture commemorating the 150th anniversary of Tonalá’s consolidation as a municipality in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.
In 2025, Karla de Lara was invited by Nacho Cano to reinterpret the face of La Malinche for his musical Malinche. Through a hyperrealist pop painting and sculpture, Cano commissioned her to reimagine this character’s face for the present day, inviting reflection on the theme of mixed race and national identity.
In 2026, she will create a mural commemorating the 500 years of trade relations between China and Mexico, collaborating with both governments to unite cultures.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would not say that my artistic journey has been easy, even though some of my achievements may make it appear that way from the outside. It has been a path built through discipline, perseverance, and a profound need to continue creating, even during moments of uncertainty.
One of my greatest challenges has been finding and defending a voice of my own. In art, mastering a technique is not enough; you must also discover what you want to communicate, learn to recognize yourself in your work, and have the courage to preserve that identity in the face of other people’s expectations. There is also the challenge of building a professional life as an artist, finding spaces in which to present my work, and continuing to evolve without losing my authenticity.
I have also had to learn to live with doubt, rejection, and periods when results do not arrive at the same pace as the effort behind them. However, those challenges have strengthened my work. Every obstacle has pushed me to look deeper, to transform myself, and to understand that an artistic career is built not only through exhibitions and recognition, but also through everything that takes place quietly within the studio.
For that reason, I would not describe my journey as easy, but I would certainly describe it as deeply meaningful. The challenges have not been interruptions in my career; they have been an essential part of it and, in many ways, have also shaped the artist I am today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a visual artist whose work focuses primarily on painting and the creation of symbolic universes where memory, identity, emotion, and the world of dreams coexist. I am interested in exploring what often cannot be expressed through words: invisible bonds, wounds, desires, emotional inheritance, and the relationship between our inner world and the environment we inhabit.
My work is characterized by a figurative, dreamlike, and deeply narrative language. Through recurring characters, surreal atmospheres, and symbolic elements, I create scenes that appear to belong to a dream yet emerge from profoundly human experiences and emotions. Each work contains a story in which viewers may recognize themselves, question their own perceptions, or discover a personal interpretation.
I am especially known for these enigmatic characters and for my distinctive personal iconography. Every element serves a purpose and may become a metaphor for connection, transformation, memory, or identity.
What makes me most proud is having developed a visual voice of my own and creating work that establishes an emotional connection with people from different places and backgrounds. I am also proud of the distinctive color language of my patented De Lara technique, a defining quality that sets my work apart from that of other artists, as well as my commitment to continuous evolution. Each exhibition and every new series offers an opportunity to investigate, take risks, and expand my artistic language without abandoning the essence of my work.
What distinguishes me is the union of a unique technique and personal style with imagination and emotional depth. My work emerges from a deeply personal perspective, yet it is not intended to remain solely autobiographical. Instead, it seeks to create a space in which others can project their own stories. To me, a painting is not complete when it leaves the studio; it becomes complete when someone pauses before it and discovers something within it that also belongs to them.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Although the creative process takes place primarily in the privacy of the studio, no artistic career is built entirely alone. In my case, an essential part of this journey has been the work of my husband and manager, Juan Carlos Fernández de Lara, who represents, in many ways, my other half in this shared life and professional endeavor.
While I focus on creating, researching, and developing my artistic language, Juan Carlos builds the bridges that allow my work to find its place in the world. He manages the commercial and professional relationships between me as an artist and galleries, art dealers, museums, collectors, and the art market as a whole. His work involves negotiation, strategy, representation, and follow-through, but above all, it is grounded in a profound understanding of my work and the direction I envision for my career.
His role has been essential because it extends far beyond managing the commercial side of my practice; he also safeguards the integrity of my artistic vision. He understands my language, recognizes the meaning behind each stage of my journey, and knows how to communicate it to individuals and institutions with sensitivity and clarity. That trust allows me to devote myself fully to the creative process, knowing that someone is advocating for my work with the same conviction with which I create it.
I am also deeply grateful to my children, to the galleries that have placed their trust in my work, to the collectors who bring the emotions I have captured on canvas into their most intimate spaces, and to my collaborators, all of whom have contributed to my growth in different ways. My work is born from a personal vision, but my career has been built collectively with everyone who forms part of the world surrounding me. In that sense, I do not consider my success mine alone, but rather the result of a partnership in which creation and strategy, sensitivity and management, complement one another in pursuit of a shared vision.
Pricing:
- First place at the 2018 Venice Biennale of Nations.
- Universal Artist “LEONARDO DAVINCI” AWARD 2018
- 2019 ONU Honorary Doctorate. For my contributions to art, culture, and humanity.
- THE BEST MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ARTIST 2019
- ARTIST OF THE DECADE / Art tour International 2020
Contact Info:
- Website: https://karladelara.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karladelara/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karladlara
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karla-de-lara/
- Twitter: https://x.com/karladelara
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@karladelaraoficial
