Otto Berchem (Born 1967 in Milford, Connecticut) lives and works in Bogota. His exhibitions include: Dive For Dreams, Ellen de Bruijne Projects (solo), Amsterdam (2017), Mobilize (with Amalia Pica), Instituto de Vision, Bogota,; Tropical Buren, Steve Turner Contemporary, Los Angeles (solo) 2016; Impenetrable, Galeria Pilar, Sao Paulo 2015 (solo); Clip-Clapper, Bis – oficina de proyectos, Cali 2015 (solo); Beyond Borders, 5th Beaufort Triennial, Belgium 2015; Theorem, Mana Contempoary, 2015; Sucursal 32 - MALBA, Buenos Aires; Le futur commence ici, FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais, Dunkirk, 2013; Revolver, Ellen de Bruijne Projects, Amsterdam (solo); Stem Terug, De Apple, Amsterdam 2012; Blue Monday, La Central, Bogota 2011 (solo); You Are Not Alone, Fundacio Miro, Barcelona, 2011; 4th Triennale of Contemporary Art, Friedrichshafen; 2006 Give(a)way, EVA International, Limerick; 2005 9th Istanbul Biennale, Istanbul, Turkey; 2002 4th Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, South Korea. His work is part of the ABN - AMRO bank Collection, Amsterdam (NL), H+F Collection, Barcelona (ES) , and theFRAC Grand Large Collections, amongs others.

Otto Berchem’s practice explores social and visual codes, focusing on the relationships between language, architecture, history and poetry, where he employs a wide variety of media, including painting, video, photography, and public interventions.

With his recent body of work the artist continues his investigation of signs, human relations and codes, using his chromatic alphabet and exploring different possibilities with it. Berchem’s code is inspired by the writings of Uruguayan Jorge Adoum and Vladimir Nabokov, Peter Saville’s designs for the first three New Order albums, and the condition of Synaesthesia.

Through the use of this alphabet, Berchem has proposed a series of works reviewing iconic images, re-interpreting them by strategically, deleting the preexisting meanings and slogans, and replacing them with his own interpretation.