WHO IS IVAFHAFE?
RAFAEL HERNÁNDEZ ESPITIA (IVAFHAFE)
Rafael Hernández Espitia, known artistically as Ivafhafe, is a Colombian visual artist whose work moves between muralism and photography, exploring different languages to reveal the expressive power of the everyday. His murals, found in various cities across Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, stand out for their vibrant colors and striking compositions that transform urban space into a sensory experience, while his photography focuses on the beauty and complexity of daily life, capturing perspectives that often go unnoticed. His practice spans a wide range of techniques—from graphite and watercolor to oil and digital color—reflecting a constant search for new forms of expression that shape a visual poetics balancing the urban and the contemplative. Through this balance, he contributes a distinctive voice to the Latin American cultural landscape, one that combines energy, sensitivity, and curiosity toward the many ways art can engage with the world. This same vitality is reflected on his Instagram account, where he shares images of murals created in different contexts alongside records of his creative process—sketches, initial strokes, tools, and work-in-progress details—that reveal the human dimension of his craft. His photographs also convey a sensitivity toward the environments he inhabits, where everyday life and painted walls converse as part of the same gaze. The use of saturated colors, strong contrasts, and coherent composition reinforces the visual identity of his work, while his accompanying texts reveal an ongoing reflection on the role of art in the city and the artist’s function as a bridge between communities and their visual landscapes.
RAFAEL HERNÁNDEZ ESPITIA (IVAFHAFE)
Rafael Hernández Espitia, conocido artísticamente como Ivafhafe, es un artista visual colombiano cuya obra transita entre el muralismo y la fotografía, explorando distintos lenguajes para revelar la fuerza expresiva de lo cotidiano. Sus murales, presentes en diversas ciudades de Colombia, Perú y Ecuador, se distinguen por el uso de colores vivos y composiciones impactantes que transforman el espacio urbano en una experiencia sensorial, mientras que en la fotografía enfoca su mirada en la belleza y complejidad de la vida diaria, capturando perspectivas que suelen pasar desapercibidas. Su práctica abarca técnicas diversas —desde el grafito y la acuarela hasta el óleo y el color digital—, evidenciando una búsqueda constante de nuevas formas de expresión que configuran una poética visual capaz de equilibrar lo urbano y lo contemplativo, aportando al paisaje cultural latinoamericano una voz propia que combina energía, sensibilidad y curiosidad por los múltiples modos en que el arte puede dialogar con el mundo. Esa misma vitalidad se refleja en su cuenta de Instagram, donde comparte imágenes de murales realizados en distintos contextos junto a registros del proceso creativo —bocetos, trazos iniciales, herramientas y detalles en progreso— que revelan la dimensión humana de su oficio. También aparecen fotografías que muestran su sensibilidad hacia los entornos que habita, en los que la vida cotidiana y los muros pintados dialogan como parte de una misma mirada. El uso de colores saturados, contrastes marcados y una composición coherente refuerza la identidad visual de su trabajo, mientras sus textos acompañantes evidencian una reflexión constante sobre el rol del arte en la ciudad y la función del artista como puente entre las comunidades y sus paisajes visuales.
Rafael Hernández Espitia, known artistically as Ivafhafe, is a Colombian visual artist whose work moves between muralism and photography, exploring different languages to reveal the expressive power of the everyday. His murals, found in various cities across Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, stand out for their vibrant colors and striking compositions that transform urban space into a sensory experience, while his photography focuses on the beauty and complexity of daily life, capturing perspectives that often go unnoticed. His practice spans a wide range of techniques—from graphite and watercolor to oil and digital color—reflecting a constant search for new forms of expression that shape a visual poetics balancing the urban and the contemplative. Through this balance, he contributes a distinctive voice to the Latin American cultural landscape, one that combines energy, sensitivity, and curiosity toward the many ways art can engage with the world. This same vitality is reflected on his Instagram account, where he shares images of murals created in different contexts alongside records of his creative process—sketches, initial strokes, tools, and work-in-progress details—that reveal the human dimension of his craft. His photographs also convey a sensitivity toward the environments he inhabits, where everyday life and painted walls converse as part of the same gaze. The use of saturated colors, strong contrasts, and coherent composition reinforces the visual identity of his work, while his accompanying texts reveal an ongoing reflection on the role of art in the city and the artist’s function as a bridge between communities and their visual landscapes.
