Balam Soto creates interactive paintings, murals and installations by combining digital technologies with mixed media. The exhibit represents Soto’s transition from traditional to new media. As he states: “Digital technologies are taking a prominent place in the world of art and I take full advantage of this new tool. I use these emerging technologies to create custom hardware and software that add an interactive capacity to my artistic creations. I program my colorful and vibrant works to react to the presence or behaviors of individuals. Soto works so that the individual becomes part of the creative process by affecting changes in light, color or sound in the creative works, providing a seamless interaction between human and technology.”
Prolific and innovative, Balam Soto has exhibited in fine art venues worldwide. Venues include the Queens Museum of Art in New York; Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science & Art in Scranton; Pennsylvania, Colo Colo Gallery in Massachusetts; the Centre Cultural in Brussels, Belgium; the National Library of Cameroon in West Africa; and Museum Miraflores in Guatemala City, Guatemala among numerous others. In November 2009, he was awarded with the “Latino de Oro” [Golden Latino] Award for Arts & Culture in Connecticut; he was also awarded an Official Citation by Hartford, Conn. Mayor Eddie Perez. In April 2008, he was honored with a Diploma of Recognition as a master by the National Congress of Guatemala for “being a valuable and outstanding Guatemalan with international success.”
Balam Soto is currently based in Hartford, Connecticut. An online portfolio of his artwork and a complete list of exhibitions and honors may be viewed at: http://www.balam.us/.