Esteban Cabeza de Baca

EDUCATION

2014     MFA Columbia University, School of the Arts, New York

2010     BFA The Cooper Union, School of the Arts, New York

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2015     Scent, Dickinson Gallery, New York, NY curated by Julio Felix

             Drums Along the Hudson, Indian Road Cafe, Inwood, New York curated by Jeff Hoppa

             Manahatta TODAY, Gallery of Leroy Neiman Art Center, NY., NY. curated by Nadema Agard

2014     I ♥ Paint, Angell Gallery, Toronto, Ontario curated by Kim Dorland

             MFA Thesis Exhibit, Fisher Landau Center, Queens, NY. curated by Ruba Katrib

             United Against Speculation, Leroy Neiman Gallery, Columbia University, NY. curated by Tomas Vu

2013     1st year Show, Wallach Gallery, Columbia University, NY. curated by Jenny Jaskey

             Magical Thinking, Livingston Street Gallery, Brooklyn, New York curated by D. Liss & J. Premmereur

2010     Group Drawing Show, Tompkins Projects, Brooklyn, New York curated by Milton Stevenson

             Powers That Be, 41 Cooper Union Gallery, New York, New York

RESIDENCIES

2015-2016        LMCC Workspace Program, New York, NY. 

2014-2015       Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, Brooklyn, NY

2014                Byrdcliffe Residency, Woodstock, New York

AWARDS

2013     Stern Fellowship, Columbia University

             Robert Gamblin Painting Grant

             Martin Birnbaum Scholarship, Columbia University

             D’Arcy Hayman Scholarship, Columbia University

2007     Full Tuition Scholarship, The Cooper Union

BIBLIOGRAPHY

2015     BORT Quarterly Online Magazine, http://www.bortquarterly.com/

2014     Zevitas, Steven, New American Painters MFA, April-May Issue, Boston, MA.

2013     Prioleau, Chris. Apogee Journal, Issue Two (April 2013): Front cover –  Back cover art.

2011     Cooper Union Administration, Course Catalog, Spring 2011, pg. 46

2008     Cooper Union Administration, At Cooper (Fall 2008 )Back Cover.

2007     The Boston Globe: sideKick, “I Love You Mary Jane”, cover

2005     The Denver Post: yourhub.com section, “Masked…”, cover.

Esteban Cabeza de Baca’s paintings present a combination of gestural Southwestern landscapes infused with a narrative informed by his Mexican and Native American ancestry.  As he writes:

‘When I think about who I am, where I come from, where I live and who I love I think about the past. People don't want to hear about the terrors of colonialism waged on indigenous people even to this day. The waves of merciless violence since 1492 and racist false promises lowered my relatives’ defenses yet here we stand. Now I didn't grow up on a reservation but having Mexican and Native blood feels like I'm in a no mans land. With nowhere to call home, I'm looking in on the outside. My skin is pale but my heart is red. I have the trauma, courage and perseverance of my ancestors coursing through me. And by painting my past, present and future I give my US history a voice.’

These paintings are not just about stories and myths.  They contain a true painter’s love of materials and an understanding of art history with a nod to artists such as Phillip Guston or George Condo.

Cabeza de Baca received his BFA from the Cooper Union School of the Arts and his MFA from Columbia University.