El Salvador, 1971— J. Oscar Molina is a painter and sculptor renowned for his “Children of the World” series. These powerful works are inspired by the artist’s vivid memories as a 16-year old making the treacherous journey through the desert to escape the violence of then war-torn El Salvador in the hopes of finding safe haven in the United States.

Newly arrived in the US, the ever-industrious Molina found a talent for landscaping and architectural projects. Over the years, he built a highly successful stone masonry business in Southampton, NY while devoting more and more time to formal art studies and entering the world of painting and sculpture. By the age of 30, Oscar Molina was committing the majority of his time and energy to his true passion–making art.

His talent and drive paid off. In 2015, the artist was invited to participate in “National Letters and Colors”, an exhibition at the National Museum of Anthropology in El Salvador. Molina has also exhibited at Casa de la Cultura in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and Casa de la Cultura in Marinilla, Columbia as well as at prominent venues in the US.

Today, Oscar Molina is known and respected as a prodigious, multifaceted artist who gives back to the community. In 2023 alone, his “Children of the World” sculptures graced the grounds of Long Island Museum, the Southampton Arts Center, and a major migrating installation at LongHouse Reserve. He is a board member of the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and donates his time and artworks to raise money for this and other worthy charities.

The artist can be found at his namesake Oscar Molina Gallery, where he exhibits his own work as well as painting, sculpture, mixed media and photography with an emphasis on work by artists from the Americas.

Currently Oscar Molina is creating large sculptural commissions of “Children of the World” in the United States and abroad as well as paintings that continue to tell his story of hope and homecoming.