Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but reared in Santa Fe in a family of Latin American art conservators and restorers, Victor Goler did not dream of becoming a professional santero. “I didn’t go out and pursue it per se. It just sort of happened,” he says. The choice of career path is no surprise when one learns that Goler apprenticed in his family’s conservation studios and carved original santos in high school as a hobby. Since 1986, Goler, who currently lives in Talpa, New Mexico, has worked full time creating retablos, bultos, and lithographs. At the beginning of his career, Goler was a traditionalist who carved mainly popular saints; now his work embraces both old and new forms. Often, he borrows from contemporary imagery after researching a saint’s history and iconography. “I like to do in-depth research on a saint and pull something you don’t normally see,” he says. While Goler’s santos might have a joke or two inherent in their forms, he asserts, “I like to add a little bit of humor to my pieces, but it’s never sacrilegious. I would never do something to insult the Church.”

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