Blueberry Plants and I (Purple), from the Kinship Series

Drawing on her Colombian-American heritage, Lina Puerta is a multidisciplinary mixed-media artist whose work explores the intersections of the natural and the human-made, engaging themes of food justice, xenophobia, hyper-consumerism, and ancestral knowledge. Her practice spans sculpture, installation, collage, handmade-paper painting, and textile-based works, incorporating materials from artificial plants and paper pulp to found, personal, and recycled objects.

Born in New Jersey, raised in Colombia, and now based in New York City and Newark, NJ, Puerta holds an MS in Art Education from CUNY. She is currently an artist-in-residence at Project for Empty Space, with a solo exhibition scheduled for 2026. Her work has been exhibited at the New York Botanical Garden, Ford Foundation Gallery, El Museo del Barrio, the Bronx Museum, 21c Museum Hotels, and the MSU Broad Art Museum. She has received numerous honors, including the NYFA Fellowship in Craft/Sculpture and the Joan Mitchell Painters & Sculptors Grant, and has participated in residencies at Dieu Donné, Art Omi, Smack Mellon, the Joan Mitchell Center, and the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling.

Lina Puerta
𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 (𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘦), 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 2022
Pigmented cotton, abaca and linen pulp; repurposed sequined and textured fabrics; discarded food nettings; sequined ribbon, gouache and googly eyes.
21” x 16 ¾”