Biography
Born in Cali, Colombia in 1959 with a marked and bold childhood, Luis Salazar-Camacho, also known as CHANTAL, began dabbling with color and brush at a young age. He was later seduced by the world of bull fighting where he soon took to his cape and sword amid the 70s. A near-death encounter in the ring soon brought him back, eventually making his way to the Caribbean island of San Andres with his newborn son and wife in the early 80s.
It was not long before CHANTAL lay down his color that the VIPs in his newly adopted home started to notice. A fortuitous encounter and apprenticeship with the great Colombian artist, KAT, considered ‘the artist of the Nadaism movement’ in Colombia, inspired CHANTAL to set on a path he currently walks today.
CHANTAL developed his style and demand for his artwork grew as he exhibited throughout Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela in the 80s and 90s. In early 2000, CHANTAL answered his father’s call to help the family business, Carrocerias Salazar, in becoming the leading truck container fabricator in all of Panama. After a few years of much success and struggles, CHANTAL retreated to the Panamanian jungle to sharpen his craft. He then moved to the coastal town of Coronado where he currently exhibits his works at the popular Chachos Grill restaurant.
Today, CHANTAL is a resident artist at The Bebedero restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia and has reunited with his son in the US to embark on a new series of art projects, to show and teach other parts of the world about his color.
