Rodrigo Bustamante is a Cuban-American visual artist and writer
Rodrigo’s first muse was the ocean. While his dad and brothers—avid fishermen and freedivers—were captivated by what lurked beneath the surface, Rodrigo was always more intrigued by what lay beyond the horizon. He nurtured this passion for exploration by infusing a sense of adventure into the mundane, harnessing his childlike wonder, and expressing deep reverence for the places he encountered.
Rodrigo studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain scholar, pursuing an interdisciplinary curriculum that included courses in photojournalism, environmental justice, social change, and borderlands literature. He earned a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Global Studies in May 2020.
His academic experiences broadened his artistic perspective, inspiring him to find his voice through mixed media production. He directed a documentary about the growth of soccer in Cuba, reflected on the personal impact of environmental degradation, studied traditional Indian textile-making practices, and co-founded a sustainability-focused student arts venture.
Rodrigo has worked with the creative teams at Patagonia, Sonos, and UNICEF and spent four years consulting on purpose-led positioning and brand expression with Prophet.
Rodrigo is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Latin American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He remains committed to creating art about the relationships between humans, the natural world, and coming of age experiences.