-
Figurative Summer Spotlight: Raelis Vasquez
August 6 - 13, 2020Raelis Vasquez draws on historical, political and personal narratives. His paintings are figurative compositions that conjure the complexity of the Afro-Latinx experience. The figures in Vasquez's work inhabit a state of vulnerability that often encourages the viewer to question their positions on class, race, and geography. He immigrated to the United States in 2002 from the Dominican Republic. Vasquez feels an overpowering responsibility (or calling) to the arts and towards his Black, Latinx, and immigrant communities.
-
The work
Raelis Vasquez was born in The Dominican Republic and moved to New Jersey with his family in 2002. His family worked tirelessly in order to move into a large house in a better neighborhood. Vasquez talks about his father working hard to support his fmaily and that he instilled that same work ethic into Vasquez as well. Vasquez spends most of his time diligently working on this paintings and drawings in his home studio.
Vasquez’s paintings are large-scale images that capture the historical and political narratives of his subjects while highlighhting their emotional and personal narratives as well. The work ranges from traditional portraiture to contemporary genre scenes that represent people of color with multiple identities such as black, immigrant, mulatto, Afro-Latinx, and Latinx, all pressing against traditional concepts of what it means to be American.
-
“The fact that I am writing to you in English already falsifies what I wanted to tell you. My subject: how to explain to you that I don't belong to English though I belong nowhere else.”
-Gustavo Pérez Firmat
-
Dias y Noches (Days and Nights) is a self-portrait of the Artist in the Dominican Republic, where he is sitting on his bed working on his computer. In this work, Vasquez wanted to personalize an exploration of masculinity by placing himself in a private setting. By using shapes and layers of color, he is encouraging the viewer to question their position in relation to the figure and the space within the painting. Vasquez is also exploring aspects of how time is felt in the DR in comparison to the US.
-
Raelis Vasquez Discusses Immigration in "Conversations on Culture"
This excerpt from our "Conversations on Culture" explores Raelis Vazquez's relationship with immigration. He discusses what it was like to immigrate to the United States at a young age and how he conveys his feelings into his work.
-
Throughout his childhood, Vasquez was confronted with inaccurate and stereotypical representations of his Afro-Latino heritage. By using the Western style of painting as a means of protest, he depicts the narrative of people of color, unveiling historical silences of family, societal life and the traumatic and disruptive experience of immigration. Vasquez's goal is to accurately represent the histories of the Dominican Republic while combating the stereotypes thrusted upon him. His narratives present the psychological states of the figures in his works while allowing the viewer a chance to see their daily lives.
-
Raelis VasquezReciting Memories, 2020oil, acrylic, and oil stick on canvas24 x 30 in.signed verso by artist
“I’m interested in investigating immigration, but also the lack of representation of people of color. That’s my true investment. Why aren’t we represented? What does it do when you aren’t represented? It’s obvious what it does.”
-Raelis Vasquez
-
In the Studio
-
-
Armed with a passionate work ethic inherited from his father, Raelis Vasquez can almost always be found in his home studio working away on his newest paintings. Often he is intimately seated while painting, a reference photo nearby or on a computer screen.
-
Raelis VasquezSeth and Iris, 2020oil, acrylic, sand, and oil stick on canvas48 x 60 in.signed verso by artist
Seth is a friend of Vasquez' who he met when they were both 9 years old and have remained friends since. Iris is his girlfriend, who has become a good friend as well. In this work, Vasquez captures a moment of intimacy between them in his home studio. He focuses on complicating the composition through the angle in which they are interacting with the viewer. In this work, he used sand from the Dominican Republic on the ground of the image, which adds another dimension of texture and meaning.
-
Listen to Raelis Vasquez on the Podcast Artist Portraits
Listen in as Raelis Vasquez discusses his upbringing in the Dominican Republic, immigrating to the United States at age 7, and how processing these life events has influenced his paintings.
-
In 2018, he received the Odyssey Travel Grant from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Vasquez was awarded the 2019 Mare Residency at SunSpot Studios with MICA in Baltimore. He received a BFA with emphasis in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a 2021 MFA Candidate with emphasis in Painting and Drawing at Columbia University.
-
Available works
