As one of the most influential and prolific artists in Colombian contemporary art, Miguel Ángel Rojas's (Bogotá, 1946) practice is permeated by a constant tension between the subjective and the contextual. Self-reference has allowed him to address, early on and persistently, questions tied to queer identity and sexuality, understood as sites of friction with social control. In parallel, his work denounces the consequences of Colombia's armed conflict, the impact of extractive economies — both legal and illegal — and the material and symbolic effects of the war on drugs. His body of work is extensive and grounded in a life context that lends it both originality and artistic and political relevance. Material exploration is a key and recognizable feature of his practice, often involving bodily secretions, coca leaves, or dollar bills, among other materials. 

Rojas holds a degree in Fine Arts from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, with earlier studies in architecture at the Universidad Javeriana. He has exhibited at the Venice Biennale (2024); Americas Society, New York (2023); the Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia, Bogotá (2023, 2019, 2018); the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (2023, 2021, 2020, 2018, 1996, 1990, 1988, 1975, 1981); the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2023); the Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín (2019); the Fondation Beyeler, Basel (2014); and the Musée du Quai Branly, Paris (2013). He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the León Dobrzinsky Prize, Bogotá (1981), and the Banco Bonzano Simonsen Prize, Rio de Janeiro (1992).