Esteban Cabeza de Baca

EXHIBITS NEWS/PRESS CV/BIO

Biography:

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.

Statement:

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.