2026 State of the Art Prize, Puerto Rico

About Javier Orfon

San Lorenzo, PR

Javier Orfon, born in Caguas, Puerto Rico 1989, obtained his BFA in Sculpture from the Fine Arts Department of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, in 2013. Notably, he completed his first artist residency at the prestigious Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine, U.S.A., in 2022. In 2020, he showcased his third solo exhibition, El Ojo de Arcilla, at Hidrante Art Space in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and his first international individual exhibition,La Casa de Las Almas, at Espacio Cómplices in Madrid, Spain, curated by Abdiel Segarra Ríos in 2022. Additionally, he has taken part in various collective exhibitions, including El Momento del Yagrumo, curated by Marina Reyes Franco at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico in 2021, and No Existe un Mundo Poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in The Wake of Hurricane Maria,” curated by Marcela Guerrero at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, U.S.A. in 2022. Notably, he also received the Joan Mitchell Foundation award in 2023. He was invited to participate in the presentation of Anamás Project Gallery, booth 7C14, ARCO art Fair, Madrid, 2024. His work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Javier Orfon resides and works between San Lorenzo and Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Javier Orfon, born in Caguas, Puerto Rico 1989, obtained his BFA in Sculpture from the Fine Arts Department of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, in 2013. Notably, he completed his first artist residency at the prestigious Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine, U.S.A., in 2022. In 2020, he showcased his third solo exhibition, El Ojo de Arcilla, at Hidrante Art Space in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and his first international individual exhibition,La Casa de Las Almas, at Espacio Cómplices in Madrid, Spain, curated by Abdiel Segarra Ríos in 2022. Additionally, he has taken part in various collective exhibitions, including El Momento del Yagrumo, curated by Marina Reyes Franco at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico in 2021, and No Existe un Mundo Poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in The Wake of Hurricane Maria,” curated by Marcela Guerrero at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, U.S.A. in 2022. Notably, he also received the Joan Mitchell Foundation award in 2023. He was invited to participate in the presentation of Anamás Project Gallery, booth 7C14, ARCO art Fair, Madrid, 2024. His work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Javier Orfon resides and works between San Lorenzo and Caguas, Puerto Rico.