Raelis Vasquez makes paintings that are inextricably tied to the cultural tapestry of the Dominican Republic. Working from photographs, the artist reveals an intimacy in his subjects that warmly draws viewers into his figurative narratives. Vasquez primarily paints quieter moments, which he brings to life through vibrant colors and energetic brush marks. He often depicts his immediate family as well as his various communities, creating a self-reflective and explorative practice of his identity as an immigrant artist from the Caribbean. Vasquez’s emotional investment in these subjects drives his work as he explores the layered and complex experience of immigration through family and societal life.

BIO:

Raelis Vasquez was born in Mao Valverde, Dominican Republic, in 1995 and lives between New York and Pennsylvania.

The artist’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Sakhile&Me Gallery, Frankfurt, Germany (2021), and De Buck Gallery, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France (2021). Vasquez has also been featured in significant group exhibitions, including Resilience at Eastville Museum, Sag Harbor, NY (2022); This is America, Kunstraum Potsdam, Berlin, Germany (2021); Estamos Bien: La Trienal 20/21, El Museo del Barrio, New York, NY (2021); and Shattered Glass, Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2021).