About

Carlos Barberena (b.1972) is a Contemporary Nicaraguan Printmaker best known for his relief prints and the use of images from pop culture, as well as from political and cultural tragedies. 

Barberena has exhibited individually in Costa Rica, Estonia, France, Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain and The United States of America, his work also has been shown in Art Biennials, Museums, Galleries and Cultural Centers around the world. 

He has received various awards, most notably "2e Prix de la 13e Biennale Internationale d'Estampe Contemporaine de Trois-Rivieres" Québec, Canada; "Best in Show - PrintAustin: The Contemporary Print" 2023 Juried Exhibition, The Art Galleries at ACC, Austin, TX; "DNSPE Purchase Award 2022"​ Bradbury Art Museum, Jonesboro, AR
"The Elizabeth Catlett Memorial Award" 2021 MAPC Juried Exhibition, University of Iowa;  - Second Prize - in the "9th Annual Art Competition" at the Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago; "SPARK Grant Award", Chicago Artist Coalition and the Joyce Foundation; "Cross Currents: Intercambio Cultural, Chicago - Havana, 2017-2019". MacArthur Foundation International Connections; “National Printmaking Award 2012” given by the Nicaraguan Institute of Culture in Managua, Nicaragua; “Parchemin d’Honneur”, 8 Triennale Mondial de l’Estampe et de la Gravure Originale, AMAC, Chamalieres, Auvergne, France, "Revueltas Award" for Visual Arts 2019, Pilsen Fest, Chicago, and the award- poster for the Ecology and Human Rights in Banana Plantations in Costa Rica, given by GEBANA in Berlin, Germany.

Barberena’s work is included in numerous public and private collections.

Public Collections

Academia Non-Grata. Pärnu, Estonia.
AMAC – Galerie d’Art Contemporain. - The Triennial Prints Cabinet - Chamalieres, France.

Austin Peay State University Art Collection. - Clarksville, TN. USA.
Benedictine University. Lisle, IL. USA.
Benson Latin American Art Collection - The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX. USA.
Bibliotheca Alexadrina. - Permanent Art Collection - Alexandria, Egypt.
Bradbury Art Museum. - Permanent Art Collection - Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR. USA.
Cannonball Press. Brooklyn, New York. USA.
Centro Cultural Antiguo Colegio Jesuita. Taller de Formación y Producción Gráfica, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México.
Colegio Universitario de Cartago. C.U.C. Cartago, Costa Rica.
Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Fort Wayne, IN. USA.
Galería Nacional. Centro Costarricense de Ciencia y Cultura, Museo de los Niños. San José, Costa Rica.
Galería Praxis. Managua, Nicaragua.
George Fox University Art Collection - Brandt Fund Purchase -.Newberg, OR. USA.
Illinois State Museum. Springfield, IL. USA
International Exlibriscentrum. Stedelijke Musea, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
Kyoto International Woodprint Association (KIWA). Kyoto, Japan.

Latino Arts Inc Milwaukee, WI. USA.
Latino Cultural Art Center (LCAC) Denver, CO. USA.
- Loyola University Museum of Art  (LUMA). Chicago, IL. USA.
Mexic-Arte Museum. Austin, TX. USA.
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo “Julio Cortázar” Sala Latinoamericana, INC, Managua, Nicaragua.
Museo Fundación Ortíz-Gurdián. - Colección de Arte Contemporáneo - Casa Deshon, León, Nicaragua.

Museu do Gravura Douro. - Douro Printmaking Biennial Collection - Alijo, Portugal.
Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA). - "Gráfica América" Long Beach, California, USA.
Museo Lía Bermúdez. Centro de Arte de Maracaibo Lía Bermúdez. Zulia. Venezuela.
Museum of Texas Tech University - Artist Printmaker Research Collection -. Lubbock, TX. USA
National Museum of Mexican Art. Chicago, IL. USA.
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, México.
University of Colorado at Boulder. - Special Collection - Boulder, CO. USA

Whitney Museum of American Art / Special Collection. New York, NY. USA.
Wheaton College Art Collection. Wheaton, IL. USA.
York College Permanent Art Collection. York College, York, PA. USA.

Currently Barberena lives and works in Chicago where he runs his Printmaking Project Bandolero Press