Get ready to dive into the captivating world of art as we present our December 2025 edition of "Artists on Our Radar"! This monthly series showcases five exceptional artists who have caught our attention and are making waves in the art scene. By combining our expertise and insights with Artsy's data, we've identified these artists who have left a significant impact this past month through their gallery representation, exhibitions, auctions, art fairs, and fresh works on Artsy.
Imogen Allen: A Visionary Painter of Nature's Delicacy
Born in 1997 in Cornwall, England, Imogen Allen creates mesmerizing paintings that challenge our perception. Her focus on the intricate patterns and hues of butterfly wings, with their delicate gradients and bold spots, creates a mesmerizing effect. Allen's subjects seem to dissolve into a symphony of colors, reminiscent of Gerhard Richter's iconic blur technique. Her sensitivity to nature's textures is deeply rooted in her upbringing near the wild moorlands of southwest Cornwall.
Allen has had a remarkable year, with new paintings on display at NADA Miami alongside Megan Mulrooney, following her recent two-person exhibition, "Imago," at Soho Revue in London. Her work has also been featured in the annual "TERRA" exhibition in Burgundy, France, and in a group show at Blue Door Gallery in New York. Allen's artistic journey includes studies at Camberwell College of Arts in London and residencies in Brazil, Australia, and the U.K. She was awarded the Young Penwith Artist of the Year in 2024 and has exhibited extensively, including solo presentations at Penwith Gallery in Cornwall and Unit in London.
Elian Almeida: Reimagining Brazilian Visual Culture
Elian Almeida, born in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro, works across portraiture, archival research, and narrative painting to reframe historically marginalized figures in Brazilian visual culture. His works draw from historical photographs, reimagined with vibrant palettes, celestial motifs, and pop culture and mythological references. In his current dual show with Alberto Pitta, "Carnival, Struggle and Other Brazilian Stories," at Nara Roesler New York, Almeida explores Afro-Brazilian identity through myth, folklore, and everyday ritual.
In "Land of the Holy Cross (A Latin Scale after Albert Eckhout)," Almeida presents a woman carrying a vessel encountering an enormous peacock, a symbol of beauty, power, and spirituality, set in a lush, dreamlike landscape. Here, Almeida reclaims representation of his country and its people, challenging the colonizing gaze of 17th-century Dutch painter Albert Eckhout.
Almeida received his BA in fine arts from the University of Rio de Janeiro Institute of the Arts and has exhibited extensively in Brazil, including group shows at the Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM Rio) and Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo. His work is held in institutional collections, including the ICA Miami and El Espacio 23 (Jorge M. Pérez Collection).
ektor garcia: Sculptural Mastery with a Nomadic Twist
Born in 1985 in Red Bluff, California, ektor garcia creates sculptures inspired by his grandmother's traditional crocheting techniques in Mexico. His current show at the San José Museum of Art in California, his first institutional solo, showcases his sculptures suspended from the ceiling and propped against walls, creating a unified vision of material experimentation. In a recent group show at Rebecca Camacho Presents in San Francisco, garcia presented works that transform and reconstruct previous sculptures, such as "pieles (formerly wire mesh)," a hanging copper sculpture with a new black border section.
ektor garcia's nomadic work style often takes him outside studio settings, to beaches and parks, where he creates his natural-looking sculptures. He received his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his MFA from Columbia University in New York. In addition to the San José Museum of Art, he has a current solo show at Galerie Nordenhake in Stockholm and previously exhibited in the 2024 Whitney Biennial.
Eny Lee Parker: Softness and Whimsy in Ceramics
Eny Lee Parker, born in 1989 in São Paulo, creates ceramic objects with a unique softness, featuring rounded edges and glazed surfaces that capture natural light. Her current solo exhibition, "A Soft Place to Land," at Hannah Traore in New York, transforms the gallery into a welcoming sanctuary with plush red carpet. Parker's designs include sconces that resemble calla lilies, floor lamps that rise like stems, and vases balanced on bulbous bases.
Born in São Paulo, Parker moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and later attended the Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia, obtaining her BFA, MA, and MFA. She established her eponymous Brooklyn-based design studio in 2017 and has showcased her work with VERSO and Objective Gallery in New York, collaborating with brands like Lulu and Georgia.
Jesse Zuo: The Sensuality of Figurative Painting
Jesse Zuo, born in 2000 in Beijing and now based in New York, creates delicious figurative paintings that combine the sensuality of boudoir portraiture with photorealistic technical precision. Like her peers Rachel Lancaster and Alexis Ralaivao, Zuo fixates on the soft contours of the body, rendering exquisite, zoomed-in details. Her paintings, on view at Plato Gallery in New York through January 3rd, feature dainty hoops on delicate earlobes, glossy nails, and dappled sun on exposed skin.
Zuo earned her BFA and MFA from New York's School of Visual Arts and has exhibited with galleries including Latitude and Hashimoto Contemporary in New York and sobering in Paris. Her work will also be featured in a group show opening this month at Copenhagen's V1 Gallery.
As we explore these five artists, we invite you to delve deeper into their unique practices and the impact they are making in the art world. But here's where it gets controversial: What do you think about the role of perception and mystery in art? How does an artist's background and upbringing influence their work? Join the discussion and share your thoughts in the comments!
