“I had the idea to make this work after seeing an artist photographed with kites in a magazine – it instantly reminded me of my childhood,” says London-based Colombian artist Daniel Arteaga of the bold, painterly collection that he is presenting this week during Frieze London – one of the world’s leading contemporary art fairs, which also presents editions in New York, Los Angeles and Seoul.
“Growing up in Cali, Colombia, kite-making was a common activity, especially on windy days,” he says. “My brother and I used to build our own kites, trying to make the biggest and best ones we could. It was always a communal experience: gathering, building, flying.”
Where The Wind Takes Us will be Daniel’s first solo exhibition, in partnership with Hot Sheet, a London-based curatorial platform supporting emerging artists. The show celebrates the intersection of painting and photography, featuring large kite-like structures painted with imagery inspired by photographs he took on trips with family and friends to fly kites as part of his research.
“I’ve always been inspired by relational art; art rooted in interaction and shared experience,” he says. “Before I started painting, I worked in performance and video art in public spaces. With this project, I wanted to bring that interactive spirit back.”
In Daniel Arteaga’s work, the kites function as both tangible objects and metaphorical devices, embodying the motion of thought itself – ideas drifting, connecting, and evolving across space. This dynamic of movement and transformation is central to his painting practice, where concepts unfold through process and gesture. In his exhibition, Daniel invites us to see the kites as artefacts that anchor visitors to the recurring themes in the work: “Wind, flight, memory and play,” he says. “You’ll see figures in the paintings that seem to interact with those elements. It’s meant to feel like stepping into a living archive of experience, where past and present coexist.”
To celebrate the launch of the show, we sat down with Daniel to explore what fuels his creative process, how he experiences the act of making, and the pieces of artistic advice he holds closest—particularly when it comes to knowing when a work is truly complete...
I’M DEFINITELY MORE OF A NIGHT PERSON... Mornings are tough for me; I often feel restless, like my body needs to be moving but can’t focus. So I tend to start my work in the evenings. When I enter the studio, the first thing I do is look at the paintings. I like to reconnect with what I’ve done before, to see it with fresh eyes. Every time I return, I notice new details, sometimes because of the lighting. The change in light, especially at night, really affects how the work appears. Paintings often reveal things I didn’t see the day before. Once I’ve spent some time observing, I begin preparing the space – bringing water, setting things up. I usually work with the canvas on the floor, so I make sure it’s ready and protected. Then, when everything feels in place, I just go for it. I start making.
RIGHT NOW, I’M LISTENING TO... A lot of rap music. Doing a solo residency means I’m alone in the studio, which can get lonely. So I need to listen to something to inspire me and at the moment I love a Spanish rapper called Kase.O. All of the music that I listen to depends on the energy that I want to feel that day. If I need high energy, I really like Andy Montañez – a salsa singer from Puerto Rico – or Hermeto Pascoal, a Brazilian musician who combines bossa nova, jazz and other rhythms into his music.
I LOVE THE ENERGY OF LEAVING A PLACE... Every time I return from a trip, whether it’s Spain or a small town in the UK, I notice a shift. Stepping away from routine and familiar places creates a kind of rupture that helps me see things differently and appreciate them more. I think travel, or just the act of movement itself, helps me see the city with fresh eyes. Of course, I’m inspired by these experiences, but more than anything, I try to stay tuned in to the everyday and just listen to what’s happening around me.
What I like about London is the atmosphere, especially when it’s wet and dark at night. I’m drawn to the reflections, the lights, the shadows. There’s a certain feeling of being enclosed or held by the city in those moments – and I try to translate that sensation into my paintings. The same happens when I’m in the park and the wind moves through the leaves. There’s a vibration in the air that really stays with me. It’s that energy, that subtle movement, that inspires my work.
ONE PILGRIMAGE THAT SPARKED CREATIVITY WAS... The Camino de Santiago – a well-known trip. I was walking for about eight days, and by the third day, I felt like I had already absorbed so much. Watching the landscape change step by step gave me a flood of ideas. My sketchbook was running out of pages because I just had to keep making things. That trip was really important for me. It was also one of my dreams to turn 30 while walking on the Camino de Santiago.
WHEN I AM ‘STUCK’, I HEAD TO... The park, or just walk around the streets because I’ve noticed that when you’re indoors, everything is still. Nothing moves, and your brain starts to loop in on itself. It becomes hard to see clearly or think creatively when you’re stuck in one place, both physically and mentally. Walking outside is a good exercise for me. The movement of the world around me: trees swaying, people passing, small changes, all help quiet my thoughts. The brain starts to focus on what’s in front of you, rather than what’s swirling inside. And often, in those moments, an idea will suddenly spark. I think that’s part of being an artist: staying attentive, being open to inspiration at any time, especially in those quiet, unexpected moments.
I HAVE TWO PIECES OF ADVICE FROM UNIVERSITY THAT I LOVE... My tutor said to me: ‘If someone likes your ketchup, they will also like your mustard.’ It doesn’t matter if you change your practice – as long as people like the things you do, you can always transition it to something else. So you don’t have to be stuck on something and be the person who’s well known for one thing. Another is that ‘good work is like scrambled eggs: you don’t want to overcook or undercook it’. And that’s so important when making work that reminds yourself that you can’t do too much – you need to allow the idea that the work can happen in two seconds, and you need to be always attentive to that. So when I’m cooking eggs, I am always reminded of this!
THE ARTISTS WHO INSPIRES ME ARE... Pierre Huyghe, everybody should see his work – he is probably one of the most exciting artists of this century – and William Kentridge, who I admire for his pedagogical approach to exploring art in different ways, such as video, drawing and painting.
IF I WASN’T AN ARTIST, I’D LOVE TO... Do something that involves movement and travel – maybe something like journalism, or work that has a strong social impact. I’m also really drawn to nature. I love watching documentaries about the Amazon, especially when they explore rare plant species. I imagine myself on those kinds of trips, being out in the world, discovering, observing. Something that doesn’t keep me tied to one place or confined to a city.
Where the Wind Takes Us by artist Daniel Arteaga, curated by Hot Sheet, opens at Fitzrovia Gallery on 15 October
