Firelei Báez
a new work
27 Jan - 12 May 2019
Firelei Báez, roots when they are young and most tender, 2018, 2 paintings, 4–6 hand painted papier-mâché sculptures, 40 x 30 foot hand-painted blue tarp, chicken wire, and foliage, site-specific installation, courtesy of The Rennie Collection, image courtesy of the artist, Kavi Gupta, Chicago, and James Cohan, New York, photography by John Lusis
Firelei Báez was born in 1980 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, and currently lives and works in Newa York. With a convergence of interests in anthropology, science fiction, black female subjectivity, and women’s work, Baéz is interested in how culture and identity are shaped by inherited histories. Approaching selfhood as malleable, her work serves as a defense against culturally predetermined ethnic stereotypes as maintained and perpetuated by dominant narratives. Drawing attention to the incomplete nature of our communal stories, Baéz creates alternate environments in which cultures, disparate or alike, can commune.
In this exhibition, a new body of work is presented featuring three paintings and an immersive installation manifest from the artist's research on the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) and its enduring significance.
In this exhibition, a new body of work is presented featuring three paintings and an immersive installation manifest from the artist's research on the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) and its enduring significance.