Rafael Uriegas: Ocaso Tropical

Rafael Uriegas is a painter and muralist, whose work is distinguished by its contemporary approach to classical themes in painting. Born in 1982 in Malaga, Spain, Rafael Uriegas moved with his family to Mexico City in 1991, where he resided until 2010 finishing his studies at La Esmeralda School of Art. Uriegas completed his master’s studies at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM) of Cuernavaca in 2013.

He began receiving critical acclaim with a Tamayo Biennale Painting Award in 2014 with his work being displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Oaxaca (MACO) in Oaxaca MX, he also received a grant from FONCA, Conacyt, among others.  

His work is held in private and public collections in Mexico and the United States, including the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in Long Beach, CA, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Sonora Museum of Art in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

Drawing on religious references, myth, and everyday experiences, Uriegas’s paintings present abstract narratives that distill life to its truest forms. His work is rooted in the history and future of modern Latin American art, while incorporating influences from Renaissance and Baroque traditions, pre-Hispanic art, abstract and avant-garde movements, and more.  

Most recently, Uriegas has been developing works through fresco painting, an ancient art form combining pigments and wall plaster. Through fresco painting, Uriegas has been exploring the expansion of forms within architectural spaces to create all-encompassing paintings. Uriegas has created fresco murals for the Historic and Ethnographic Museum of Caborca in Sonora Mexico and the hotel Pug Seal Oaxaca. He currently resides in Cholula, Mexico.

https://www.rafaeluriegas.com/about