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Michael Vasquez

Born St. Petersburg, Florida, 1983

Michael Vasquez was raised by his mother and earned a BFA from the New World School of the Arts (Miami) in 2001. Vasquez’s work, in both large-scale painting and sculptural photo assemblages, represents the society in which he grew up: the male world of the streets and gang life.

The artist’s bravura paint handling is equal to its subject: dramatic, shocking, and even violent. But it is also imbued with the pathos of young men coming up, trying to find themselves amid a world of trouble, creating a community from what is at hand. Being from that life, Vasquez uses his work to race past questions of objectification and condescension to force our attention on the world of men marginalized and ignored by the American mainstream.

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Michael Vasquez

Nacida en Born St. Petersburg, Florida, 1983

Michael Vasquez obtuvo su bachillerato en arte en el New World School of the Arts (Miami) en 2001. Tanto su pintura a gran escala como sus ensamblajes esculturales de fotos, representan la sociedad en la que creció: el mundo masculino de las calles y la vida pandillera.

Su manejo audaz de la pintura va a la par con la temática de su obra: dramática, impactante, e incluso violenta, aunque también infundida por el pathos de jóvenes que crecen intentando encontrarse a sí mismos en un mundo de problemas, creando una comunidad con lo que tienen a mano. Criado por su madre soltera y producto de estas circunstancias, Vasquez cuestiona a través de su obra la objetualización y altivez de la cultura principal estadounidense hacia el mundo de los hombres marginalizados e ignorados por ésta.

Michael Vasquez

Born St. Petersburg, Florida, 1983

Michael Vasquez was raised by his mother and earned a BFA from the New World School of the Arts (Miami) in 2001. Vasquez’s work, in both large-scale painting and sculptural photo assemblages, represents the society in which he grew up: the male world of the streets and gang life. The artist’s bravura paint handling is equal to its subject: dramatic, shocking, and even violent. But it is also imbued with the pathos of young men coming up, trying to find themselves amid a world of trouble, creating a community from what is at hand. Being from that life, Vasquez uses his work to race past questions of objectification and condescension to force our attention on the world of men marginalized and ignored by the American mainstream.


Michael Vasquez

Nacida en Born St. Petersburg, Florida, 1983

Michael Vasquez obtuvo su bachillerato en arte en el New World School of the Arts (Miami) en 2001. Tanto su pintura a gran escala como sus ensamblajes esculturales de fotos, representan la sociedad en la que creció: el mundo masculino de las calles y la vida pandillera. Su manejo audaz de la pintura va a la par con la temática de su obra: dramática, impactante, e incluso violenta, aunque también infundida por el pathos de jóvenes que crecen intentando encontrarse a sí mismos en un mundo de problemas, creando una comunidad con lo que tienen a mano. Criado por su madre soltera y producto de estas circunstancias, Vasquez cuestiona a través de su obra la objetualización y altivez de la cultura principal estadounidense hacia el mundo de los hombres marginalizados e ignorados por ésta.

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YBG Collage
Collaged acrylic painting on paper, 2013
Matthew Chevallard Collection
© Michael Vasquez
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The Neighborhood Tour
Acrylic and oil on canvas, 2007
Collection of Evan and Stefanie Reed
© Michael Vasquez
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This is Ours—AJ
Acrylic on canvas, 2011
Blair and Arthur Rice
© Michael Vasquez
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National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

August 22, 2014 through April 12, 2015

Americas Society, New York City

June 10, 2015 through October 18, 2015

National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico

November 6, 2015 through March 27, 2016.