The visual artist and teacher of FADCOM - ESPOL, Billy Soto obtains the title of Doctor in Fine Arts, with International mention and the qualification of Sobresaliente Cum Laude, awarded by the Complutense University of Madrid.
This achievement was made official after the defence of his doctoral thesis, a research work that stems from a deep concern born out of his experience as an artist and educator: Are there symbolic elements and connections in contemporary Ecuadorian art that dialogue with pre-Columbian ancestral production? The study proposes that pre-Columbian ancestral creations are not mere vestiges of the past, but living systems that continue to nourish contemporary artistic and visual production in Ecuador.
To present this, the author employed tools of visual analysis and categorisation that enable the symbolic, formal and conceptual properties of pre-Columbian art to be evidenced in present-day works. The study covers from the research of archaeologist Carlos Zevallos Menéndez, through the pictorial work of Enrique Tábara, to the iconic designs of Peter Mussfeldt. In this journey, the thesis identifies a transversal line of visual affinities that links different generations of Ecuadorian visual creators, all marked by an ancestral aesthetic and symbolic heritage.
Soto's work articulates a view that integrates archaeology, contemporary art and graphic design, and highlights how the geometric lines, patterns and schemes of pre-Columbian art have been reinterpreted and updated to respond to new creative intentions. The research shows how these forms have been transformed into a shared visual vocabulary, capable of adapting to different expressive purposes, without losing their structural roots. In a world where global visual narratives tend to become uniform, Billy Soto's work reminds us of the validity and richness of the ancestral as an inexhaustible source of innovation.
© Photography: Courtesy / Written by José Luis Castro
