About

Juan Carlos Pinto (b. 1968) is a Guatemalan-born artist and art historian based in New York City. Having lived in Brooklyn for over 12 years, Carlos Pinto has made many public artworks, often creating with materials from the streets of New York, such as discarded glass, plastic, and pieces of pottery. Migration is a recurring theme throughout his work. Pinto leans towards motifs such as birds to portray the migration of animals and peoples across regions as a natural occurrence of life.  He is largely inspired by birds he sees in near his home in Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

Pinto’s works include portraits of celebrities and animals, mainly birds and fish. He renders them in collages created with recycled MTA MetroCards. His work encompasses other mediums such as tile work and painting. Pinto's striking mosaic collages serve as a response to an uptick in societal tensions related to migration, specifically relating to attitudes towards immigrants in New York City. Juan Carlos Pinto’s art alludes to playfulness and a underlying need to be active member of society.

​