Jorge Pardo (Havana, Cuba, 1963) studied at the University of Illinois and obtained his BFA at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. His work explores the intersection of painting, design, sculpture, and architecture, utilizing a broad palette of vibrant colors and natural and industrial materials. Pardo transforms familiar objects into works with multiple meanings, such as lamps that function as sculptures or a sailboat displayed as both a utilitarian and artistic object. He works on both small and monumental scales, turning public spaces into canvases.

He has exhibited individually in places like the São Paulo State Pinacoteca (2019), Hacienda la Rojeña, Tequila, MX (2019), and Gagosian Gallery, New York (2010). His work is in the collections of the Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, LACMA, MoMA, and the Whitney Museum. He has received awards such as the MacArthur Fellowship Award (2010) and the Smithsonian Lucelia Artist Award (2001). He currently lives and works in Mérida, Mexico.