esteban patino

Language is at the heart of Esteban Patino’s creative practice – even when the words themselves don’t exist.

Using an invented alphabet of shapes and symbols, the Atlanta-based artist creates collages, paintings, and sculptures that explore how we communicate, interpret meaning and make connections.

“I have always been captivated by how humans create and play with language,” said the artist.

Artist: Born in Medellin, Colombia, Patino had an early interest in art. When he was about 16 and in high school, he also attended an art academy, where he was introduced to classical drawing and painting.

After Patino finished high school, he attended Universidad Nacional for one year. In 2001, he moved with his father to Florida. Five years later, Patino moved to Atlanta, where he was introduced to artists and started his art practice.

He works out of a studio in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood.

Art & materials: Several bodies of work, including sculpture, collage and paintings ($1,000 to $20,000). Materials include steel, wood and acrylic on canvas. Recently, he created new sculptures in plexiglass.

To explore themes of language and perception in his work, Patino created his own “alphabet” or system of symbols that is based on six shapes. Each one rotates on its own axis four times to make a total of 24 characters. With these shapes, he plays with word structures by creating text-based pieces.

Fun & special commission: For Sir Elton John. The British singer, composer and pianist wanted a piece, showing his name, the names of his husband and their two sons, but using Patina’s shapes and language in a sort of abstract translation.

Influences:

Artists, including: John Baldessari, Christopher Wool, Jean Dubuffet and Alexander Calder.
Visual patterns in action.

Recent exhibits: In 2026:

“Speaking in Tongues,” Lyndon House Arts Center, Athens, GA.
“Déjà vu,” Spalding Nix Fine Art, Atlanta.
“The New South,” Kai Lin Art, Atlanta.

What’s next: A three-month art residency at GlogauAir in Berlin, Germany. Fall 2026. It will be Patino’s third residency at the non-profit art space. The other two were in 2023 and 2024.

When he is in Berlin, Patino usually focuses on collage. For material, he walks the city, collects ripped posters from the streets, brings them to the studio and creates new pieces. Berlin, he said, is known for its street-level art, where walls, doorways and lampposts are plastered with overlapping posters and flyers promoting bands, art shows, and political issues.

“New posters go up daily,” said Patino. “It is a very visual city.”

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