Rafael Lanfranco
Rafael Lanfranco (Lima, 1976) is a Peruvian visual artist whose work explores the
intersection of mythology, technology, and contemporary pop culture. Through painting,
sculpture, and narrative world-building, Lanfranco creates fictional universes populated by
hybrid characters that blend pre-Columbian symbolism, science fiction, and retro-futurist
aesthetics.
Central to his practice are two narrative ecosystems: The Imaquinario of Yute and Tocuyo, a
retro-futuristic world of mechanical creatures and philosophical allegories, and the
Wakoverso, a mythological universe inspired by ancient Andean cosmologies and
ceremonial vessels that once narrated sacred stories.
Lanfranco's work combines storytelling, character design, and symbolic imagery, creating
what he describes as "living mythologies"-narrative systems where sculpture, painting,
and literature coexist. His visual language draws from sources as diverse as pre-Columbian
iconography, Japanese pop culture, esoteric symbolism, and speculative science.
His work has been exhibited internationally in Lima, Cusco, Milan, Santiago, Miami,
Washington DC, and Singapore, and has appeared in venues such as the Superdesign Show
in Milan and galleries including Rossana Orlandi Gallery.
Lanfranco is also the author of the illustrated novel El Imaquinario de Yute y Tocuyo
(Planeta, 2022), nominated for the Premio Luces, and continues to expand his narrative
worlds through sculpture, painting, and writing.
