Karla Herencia

Karla Herencia explores environmental degradation through a transdisciplinary practice. Her work is connected to the coastal landscapes of Puntarenas, where she regularly collects discarded plastic fragments, transforming these materials into intricate sculptures and mixed-media installations. By reworking industrial debris, Herencia reflects on the complex and often contradictory role of human invention in natural ecosystems.

Herencia is influenced by the geographical and social tensions of her surroundings. The changing dynamics of oceanic and tectonic forces in the region are mirrored in her artistic interrogation of territory and environmental crisis. Her work is a personal response to the fragility of the body and the planet. It engages with the precarious balance between the natural and artificial worlds. Her practice is also inspired by her heritage as the daughter of a Peruvian migrant mother, which informs her sensitivity to primitive materials and ritualistic aesthetics.

Her installations, often built from discarded or recycled elements, offer a unique fusion of the socio-political and the intuitive. This synthesis allows her to explore the emotional implications of environmental issues while grounding her work in a broader, more philosophical critique of human impact on nature.

Herencia’s growing reputation, exemplified by her recent participation in the Tijuana Triennial, situates her among contemporary Latin American artists tackling pressing global issues. She has a unique ability to transform local environmental concerns into a dialogue that resonates with a wider international audience.

Why We Love This Artist
Karla’s connection to Costa Rica’s coastline is infectious — she collects plastic fragments from the beaches of Puntarenas, turning industrial debris into something that reads almost as a love letter to the ocean. There is a beautiful soul behind the practice, and it comes through in the work: deeply personal in its origins, but universal in what it stirs.