Rodrigo “Rod” Bustamante is a Cuban-American visual artist and writer based in Los Angeles

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, among others. 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 multimedia expression. 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 collective.

Rodrigo has worked with the creative teams at Patagonia, Sonos, and UNICEF. He currently works at Prophet, a strategy consulting firm, where he focuses on purpose-led positioning for some of the world’s most prominent brands.

Today, Rodrigo’s work is equal parts chronicle, reflection, and experiment. Through his photography and writing, he hopes to continue creating art about the relationship between humans, the natural world, and coming of age experiences.