José Luís Seara trained in art at the Escola de Artes Mestre Mateo in Santiago de Compostela, a city that would mark the beginning of a singular artistic journey, rooted in Galician culture and open to the world.

In 1977 he joined FOGA — Fato do Ounirismo Galego —, a movement that brought together key names in contemporary Galician art such as Kukas, J. Méndez, Lino Silva, Leiro, Manolo Paz, Yayo, Anselmo Lamela and Luis Fega. This encounter of generations and sensibilities was decisive in consolidating his artistic language and in launching an intense exhibition activity, both collective and individual.

He began his collaboration with Galeria Novecento and was selected by Antón Castro for the exhibition Imaxes dos 80 dende Galicia, an unavoidable reference point in Galician art of the period. He worked with Portuguese galleries such as Roma e Pávia, Galeria Álvarez and Por Amor à Arte Galeria. In Spain, he collaborated with venues such as Ad-Hoc, Abel Lepina, MP8, Carmen de la Calle, Art23cb and Marisa Marimón, among others.

In 1990 he was awarded the FENOSA grant for artistic creation abroad, which took him to Orléans, France. This was followed by a five-year period in Majorca, an experience that deepened his vision and enriched a body of work already marked by the tension between identity and drift.

He took part in leading international fairs, including ARCO in Madrid and MiArt in Milan, and was part of the cultural programme of Porto 2001, European Capital of Culture. His work has been shown at institutions such as the Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis in Porto, the CGAC — Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea in Santiago de Compostela, the Instituto Cervantes in New Delhi, the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath in Bangalore, the ICCR Tagore Centre in Calcutta, and MACHO — Museo de Arte Contemporánea Horcynus Orca, in Messina.

Alongside his exhibiting practice, he built up an extensive body of work as an illustrator of books, records and posters. He collaborated with several puppet companies on building figures and designing set pieces, and took on the role of artistic director on various short films. In feature films, he worked as a set dresser, prop master and set decorator.

Throughout this multifaceted career, painting and sculpture have always remained at the centre of his creative work, the unshakeable foundation from which everything else expands.