Pablo Baler

Pablo Baler is a Full Professor of Latin-American Literature, Visual Arts, and Creative Writing at California State University, Los Angeles, where he is affiliated with the College of Arts and Letters and the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and now a resident of Los Angeles, California, Baler maintains an active international research profile as a research fellow at The Center for Fine Art Research at Birmingham City University, U.K.

His research focuses on 20th and 21st century Latin American literature and visual culture, with particular emphasis on theoretical issues pertaining to philosophy, aesthetics, and the history of ideas. Baler explores representational crises through the lens of distortion, examining connections between 17th century Baroque aesthetics and contemporary Latin American artistic production. His work investigates how artistic revolutions respond to experiences of violence and trauma in the Americas, while also examining emerging trends at the intersection of art, biotechnology, and ethics.

Baler's publications reveal a consistent exploration of aesthetic sensibilities across time and media. His scholarly work 'Latin American Neo Baroque: Senses of Distortion' examines epistemological crises through figures of distortion, while his edited volume 'The Next Thing: Art in the Twenty-First Century' anticipates emerging aesthetic trends. His creative work, including novels like 'Circa' and 'El lejano desoriente,' demonstrates his theoretical concerns through literary practice.

Among his notable recognitions are the Primer Premio Ministerio de Cultura de la Nación (2001) and the Segundo Premio Fondo Nacional de las Artes (1998). His work has been praised by scholars including David W. Foster and Paul Nelson for its theoretical originality and poetic range.

Baler is currently working on multiple projects, including a novel described as a 'Messianic-pornographic comedy' and a book of essays titled 'Maxima Inmoralia: Art and Transgression' that explores the relationship between ethics and aesthetics. His recent chapter 'Art and Biotechnology: Viral Culture from CRSPR to Covid' (2024) demonstrates his ongoing interest in how emerging technologies are reshaping artistic possibilities and ethical considerations in contemporary art practice.