Get ready to dive into the vibrant world of art as we showcase five incredible artists who are making waves this December 2025! Our monthly series, "Artists on Our Radar," is here to introduce you to the creative minds that have captured our attention. Using our extensive art expertise and the insights from Artsy, we've identified these artists who have left a mark through their gallery representations, exhibitions, auctions, art fairs, and fresh works on Artsy.
Imogen Allen: A Painter's Journey Through Nature's Beauty
Born in 1997 in Cornwall, England, Imogen Allen creates captivating paintings that explore the intricate world of flora and fauna. Her unique perspective pushes us to question our own perception. Allen's focus on the vibrant hues and intricate patterns of butterfly wings is a sight to behold. The delicate gradients and bold spots and stripes seem to merge with the surrounding colors, reminiscent of Gerhard Richter's famous blur effect. Allen's connection to nature and its textures stems from her childhood spent near the wild moorlands of southwest Cornwall.
Allen has had an eventful year, and this month, she's presenting her latest paintings at NADA Miami with Megan Mulrooney. Following her recent two-person exhibition, "Imago," at Soho Revue in London, Allen's work is also featured in the annual "TERRA" exhibition across heritage sites in Burgundy, France. Additionally, her standout pieces were showcased in a group show at Blue Door Gallery in New York.
With a degree from Camberwell College of Arts in London and residencies in Brazil, Australia, and the U.K., Allen's talent has been recognized. She was awarded the Young Penwith Artist of the Year in 2024 and has exhibited her work in various solo presentations, including at Penwith Gallery in Cornwall and Unit in London.
Elian Almeida: Reimagining Brazilian Visual Culture
Elian Almeida, a Brazilian artist born in 1994 in Rio de Janeiro, works across portraiture, archival research, and narrative painting. His art reframes historically marginalized figures in Brazilian visual culture, presenting them as protagonists. Almeida's works often draw inspiration from historical photographs, which he reimagines with vibrant palettes, celestial motifs, and references to pop culture and mythology.
Currently, Almeida is featured in a dual show with fellow Brazilian artist Alberto Pitta, titled "Carnival, Struggle and Other Brazilian Stories," at Nara Roesler New York. Here, he expands his exploration of Afro-Brazilian identity by delving into myth, folklore, and everyday rituals. In his work, "Land of the Holy Cross (A Latin Scale after Albert Eckhout)," a woman carrying a vessel encounters a majestic peacock, a symbol of beauty, power, and spirituality, set against a lush, dreamlike landscape. By referencing the 17th-century Dutch painter Albert Eckhout in the title, Almeida reclaims the representation of his country and its people from a colonizing perspective.
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, such as the ICA Miami and El Espacio 23 (Jorge M. Pérez Collection).
ektor garcia: Sculptures with a Nomadic Spirit
Born in 1985 in Red Bluff, California, ektor garcia creates sculptures that are inspired by his grandmother's traditional crocheting techniques in Mexico. His practice involves wire, crocheted into flexible lattices, bulbous clay forms, and leather, all joined with precision. In his current show at the San José Museum of Art in California, his first institutional solo, garcia suspended his sculptures from the ceiling and propped them against walls, creating a unified vision of his material experimentation.
Recently, garcia participated in a group show at Rebecca Camacho Presents in San Francisco, where he presented works that transform and build upon previous sculptures. For instance, his hanging copper sculpture "pieles (formerly wire mesh)" unravels and reconstructs an older work with a new black border section. This demonstrates garcia's transformative and fluid approach, rejecting the traditional hands-off attitude towards finished artworks.
ektor garcia works nomadically, often outside a studio setting, in locations like beaches and parks. 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 his current solo show at Galerie Nordenhake in Stockholm, garcia has previously exhibited in the 2024 Whitney Biennial.
Eny Lee Parker: Softness in Ceramic Design
Eny Lee Parker, born in 1989 in São Paulo, brings a sense of softness and elegance to her ceramic objects. With rounded edges and glazed surfaces that capture natural light, Parker's designs are truly captivating. 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. The elegant whimsy of her works is enhanced by this cozy setting.
Parker moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and later attended the Savannah College of Art & Design in Georgia, where she obtained her BFA, MA, and MFA. In 2017, she established her eponymous design studio in Brooklyn. Parker has showcased her work with VERSO and Objective Gallery in New York and collaborated with brands like Lulu and Georgia.
Jesse Zuo: Figurative Paintings with a Mysterious Twist
Jesse Zuo, born in 2000 in Beijing and now based in New York, creates figurative paintings that are a delightful blend of flesh and light. Inspired by artists like Rachel Lancaster and Alexis Ralaivao, Zuo fixates on the soft contours of the body, rendering them in exquisite detail. Her paintings, currently on view in a duo show at Plato Gallery in New York until January 3rd, combine the sensuality of boudoir portraiture with the technical precision of photorealism.
Zuo's paintings carry an air of mystery, as an unidentified subject with long, braided hair recurs in many of her works. The subject, possibly the artist herself, remains anonymous, creating a sense of closeness and distance simultaneously. Zuo earned her BFA and MFA from New York's School of Visual Arts and has exhibited with galleries in New York and Paris. Her work will also be featured in a group show opening this month at Copenhagen's V1 Gallery.
These five artists are just a glimpse into the diverse and exciting world of art. Stay tuned for more insights and discoveries as we continue to explore the artistic landscape!
