A selection of work by artist Mila Useche. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, and currently based in Ehime, Japan, Useche completed her BFA at Berliner Technische Kunsthochshule in Berlin, Germany. Her work is a blend of pop-inspired visuals, personal stories, Catholic iconography, animated cartoons, and pre-Colombian mythologies. She also explores themes of identity, collective nostalgia, and personal mythologies. Useche’s approach involves channeling the intuitive energy of her younger self. In this way, her work is the result of competing versions of herself in conversation. What emerges is something akin to self-portraits or “aura-selfies”:

“I’m attracted to how painting, a slow, material act, can counter the speed and saturation of the post-internet world and provide a comforting physical weight, a gentle cage to embrace the uncapturable nature of my Self. I often apply acrylics onto canvas in a spontaneous way. First, I aim for unrefined and ambiguous shapes, so I can later move on to more complex rendering methods to slowly discover these avatar-like characters you see reappearing in my work.”

Mila Useche participated in our 2025 Booooooom Art & Photo Book Award and made our shortlist. Click here to check out all of our current and upcoming open calls!