Ivan Toth Depeña

Ivan Toth Depeña (born October 31, 1972) is an American artist, sculptor, and architectural designer. He is currently based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is known for his fine art and public art works and installations such as Reflect, located in the Stephen P. Clark Government Center, and the augmented reality installation Lapse. His works are known for their combination of glass, light, and interactivity.

Early life and education
Depeña was born in Miami, Florida. He is of Cuban descent. As a young artist in Miami, he was influenced by New York City graffiti artists. He attended an art intensive high school, the New World School of the Arts.

Depeña attended Pratt Institute before graduating with a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Miami and a master's degree in architecture from Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.

Career


While he was based in Miami, Depeña had group and solo exhibitions with institutions such as Locust Projects, the Frost Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami, Pérez Art Museum Miami, and the David Castillo Gallery. Outside of Miami, Depeña has also lived and worked in New York. His work has also been displayed in the Praxis Gallery in New York City and the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut.

Depeña completed his first public art installation, Reflect, in 2011.

In 2013, Depeña won the Knight Foundation's Knight Arts Challenge and was awarded a grant to create an interactive public art installation using augmented reality and geopositioning, which became the art installation Lapse.

Depeña relocated to Charlotte in 2014 after being offered an artist-in-residence position at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation. In the same year, he was awarded a project by New Mexico's Art in Public Places program, which became the art installation Inside/Out.

Depeña was a finalist for the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) Grants & Commissions program for Hispanic artists for the 2017–2018 season. Depeña was also one of several augmented reality artists who contributed to the Snap Orlando's City Unseen exhibition in 2018.

Depeña also designed an art installation depicting the solar system that was displayed at Ohio State University in 2019.

In 2023, Depeña's abstract illuminated sculptures depicting photon particles were installed at the entrance of the Duke Energy Plaza in Charlotte.

Depeña has served as an assistant professor of art, music, and design at Queens University.

Reflect
Reflect is an interactive art piece made from LED light boxes that respond to cameras that record visitors’ movement and gestures. The project became a permanent installation at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center and was commissioned as part of Miami-Dade County's Art in Public Places program. Reflect was awarded a “Year in Review” award from the Public Art Network.

Inside/Out
Inside/Out is an interactive electric light installation located in The Pit's glass stair tower. The installation premiered on May 8, 2015, as part of graduation ceremonies for the University of New Mexico. It initially displayed UNM school colors before debuting its programmed color sequence on May 10.undefined

Lapse
Depeña completed Lapse in 2016. The installation used a mobile application to project audiovisual experiences such as murals, audioscapes, and prose writing onto specific locations in Miami.

Surface
Surface is a colored glass installation that is located in the Cornelius Park and Ride comfort station. Depeña was awarded his second “Year in Review” award from the Public Art Network for Surface in 2018.

Air/Traffic/Control
Depeña's installation Air/Traffic/Control at the Nashville International Airport went on to win another “Year in Review” award in 2019. This project is a light and glass sculpture that encompasses all six levels of the airport garage's elevator lobbies.undefined

Aurum
Depeña's metallic sculpture Aurum was commissioned by The Spectrum Companies and displayed as the centerpiece of the Vantage South End building in Charlotte in 2022.

Breaking Barriers
Depeña also created the concrete-and-bronze sculpture Breaking Barriers, which was made as a tribute to football player Jack Trice and installed in front of Jack Trice Stadium at Iowa State University in 2022.

Selected awards

 * 2012, 2018, 2019 - Year in Review Award - Public Art Network
 * 2013 - Knight Arts Challenge Winner - John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
 * 2017 - United States Artists Fellow Finalist
 * 2017 - Public Spaces Award - CODAWorx Top 100 2017
 * 2017 - Collections Finalist - CIFO