Raùl de Nieves (b. 1983, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico) lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, US. He is an interdisciplinary artist, performer, and musician whose multifaceted practice ranges from stained-glass-style narrative paintings to animated performances to densely adorned figurative sculptures encrusted with bangles, beads, bells, sequins, and other homespun materials. His opulent, joyful sculptures reference traditional costumes in Mexican culture and modes of dress from drag, ballroom, and queer club cultures, while also reminding religious professional attire and the outfits worn by circus performers. His practice shares a distinctive visual language that draws from Mexican craft traditions, religious iconography, mythology, and folktales to explore the transformational possibilities of adornment and the mutability of sexuality and identity.
Portrait: Photo by Rafael Martinez
Selected artworks
The Magician
This coat is stitched with galaxies, These boots are dusted bright with flame. They hums to distant nebulas That softly whisper back their name.
The talisman
The Longer I Slip Into A Crack The Shorter My Nose Becomes
One One Eight Four Five Time Is On My Side
Two truths forever overthrown, by parallels strong and sure
The Widening of Wonder (Loyalty)
The Widening of Wonder (Protection)
Saint George and the Dragon (Divine Connection)
The Hemlock
Chip Star
