Sebastián Vallejo
San Juan, PR, 1982
Biography Details
Painter. Vallejo obtained a BFA from Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus in 2004. He pursued his master’s studies in painting and drawing at The Art Institute of Chicago, obtaining his degree in 2009. His work has been shown in diverse art fairs in different American cities such as : CIRCA, held in SanJuan in 2006 and 2007, ARTChicago in 2009, PULSE in Miami in 2010, and ArteBA in Buenos Aires. In 2012 he was part of the collective, Friends with Benefits at Lehmann Maupin Gallery in New York. His work is inspired by the expansive quality and spontaneous character of nature; the light and color of the Caribbean, where organic and inorganic forms collide and are transformed.
Artist Statement
My paintings describe the aesthetic relation between organic and inorganic forms and its visual and cultural implications. The paintings are inspired by the expansive and improvisational qualities that exist in nature and by the light and colors of the Caribbean where the light seems to emanate from almost any direction, sometimes even from the ground. This is especially true in Puerto Rico, where I was born and raised. The materiality of painting amplifies light and form, and by extension all natural phenomena it attempts to capture. The paintings deal with notions of beauty and the sublime by adopting and sometimes exaggerating Caribbean clichés and Romantic tropes in traditional painting; pushing the boundaries inherent in the genre of painting while simultaneously celebrating its history.
Source: “Sebastian Vallejo”. MoMA PS1. 2012. http://momaps1.org/studio-visit/artist/sebastian-vallejo-0
Formation
Education
2009
- Master Degree of Art. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
2007
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
2004
- Bachelor Degree of Art. University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
2014
- Taquicardia, Recinto Cerra, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2013
- Salvoconducto, ÁREA: Lugar de Proyectos, Caguas, Puerto Rico
2012
- Salvoconducto, The Active Space Gallery, Nueva York, United States
- Mark Making: Sketches from Bushwick, Trailer Park Projects, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011
- Methodic Chaos, METRO: plataforma organizada, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2010
- Pulse 10’ (Single Artist Presentation), Galería Bickar Booth, Miami, Florida, Estados Unidos
- Lüx, Lloyd Dobler Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, United States
2007
- Made in Chicago, ÁREA: Lugar de Proyectos, Caguas, Puerto Rico
Group Shows
2014
- ArteBa 14’, Trailer Park Proyects Booth, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- ABC, Espacio 20/20, Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2013
- Ya Era Hora, Museo de Arte e Historia de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
- 20 Décadas/20 Artistas, Centro de Bellas Artes de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- 8vo Aniversario, ÁREA: Lugar de Proyectos, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Colectivo 2.1, 2BLEÓ space, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Colectivo1, 2BLEÓ space, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2012
- Friends with Benefits, Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York, United States
- Concrete Illusions: Public and Private Spaces in Puerto Rico, Clemente Soto Vélez, New York, United States
- Concrete Illusions: Public and Private Spaces in Puerto Rico, Galería IBA, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Making Their Mark: Sebastián Vallejo & Molly Herman, Amy Simon Fine Art, Westport, Connecticut, United States
- Break/Step, Radiator Galllery, New York, United States
- The Salon Exhibition, The Active Space Gallery, New York, United States
- MDW Art Fair 11', Lloyd Dobler Gallery Booth, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- When Ends Meet, The End, Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Chikitolina 3, La15 Contemporary Art Space, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- Fase 1: Artistas de la Metro, METRO:plataformaorganizada, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Directional Float, The Active Space, Brooklyn, Nueva York, Estados Unidos
- Nuestro Negocio es la Cooperación: Boricuas Bestiales/Exist, La Ene Nuevo Museo Energía de Arte Contemporáneo , Buenos Aires, Argentina
- A Person of Color/ a mostly orange, The Green Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
2010
- Diaspora, Diversity, and Dialogue, Brooklyn College Student Center, Brooklyn, New York, United States
- A Feast of Fools, Second-Floor Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Vamos!, UBS, Stamford, Connecticut, United States
- The Affordable Art Fair 10’, Nueva York, Estados Unidos
- NEXT 10’, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Religare: Artists explore the concept of Religion, Antenna Project Space, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- New York-San José, Galería Bickar, San José, Costa Rica
2009
- Painterly Ports, Abryant Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Panamérica, Sullivan Galleries, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Art Chicago 09’, Third Arm, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- NEXT 09’, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Group Painting Show, Ebersb9 Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- SAIC Graduate Exhibition, Sullivan Galleries, SAIC, Chicago, Illinois, United States
2008
- FOLKLURE, 1213 Sharp Gallery, SAIC, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Nov 14, 1213 Sharp Gallery, SAIC, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Papel/Ciudad: escenas citadinas, relatos verídicos y fantásticos, Museo de Arte de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Una MIXTA: Luis Roca y Sebastián Vallejo, ÁREA: Lugar de Proyectos, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Home: An Exploration of One’s Ideal Personal Space, Betty Rymer Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, United States
2007
- Terruño y Paraíso Perdido, Museo de Arte de Caguas, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Terruño y Paraíso Perdido, Museo de las Américas, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Who Art Thou? Lollapalooza 07’, Grand Park, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- SAIC Graduate Exhibition, Gallery 2, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- CIRCA 07', Angora Group, ÁREA: Lugar de Proyectos, Caguas, Puerto Rico
2006
- Exprésate, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- CIRCA 06', Centro de Convenciones de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
2009
- Second Prize. Union League Civic and Art Foundation, Chicago, Illinois, United States
2008
- Scholarship. The Art Institute of Chicago Community Associates Scholarship, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Collections
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Casa de Las Américas, Havana, Cuba
Bibliography
Web
“El Habitat: Mark Making/Sketches from Bushwick”. El Vocero (San Juan, PR). http://issuu.com/vocero.com/docs/v06282012/66
Pérez Rivera, Tatiana. “Cuando el Riesgo es Amigo”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR). http://www.elnuevodia.com/XStatic/endi/template/content.aspx?id=1469553&...
Acevedo-Yates, Carla. Sebastián Vallejo: The Experience of Colliding Systems. DaWire. http://dawire.com/2011/09/21/sebastian-vallejo-the-experience-of-collidi...
Vazquez, Ralph. “On Method and Man’s Chaotic Madness: The Recent Work of Sebastian Vallejo”.
ConBoca (San Juan, PR). http://www.conboca.org/2011/09/20/on-method-and-a-man%E2%80%99s-chaotic-...
Gonzales, Mariángel. “Entrevista: Sebastián Vallejo”. Elpuntoes (San Juan, PR). http://www.elpuntoes.com/sebastian-vallejo-en-area-metro-plataforma-orga...
Liberty Nichols, Thea. “LÜX”. ARTslant. http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/102592-sebastian-vallejo?tab...
Vélez, Pedro. “The New Scenesters”. Artnet. http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/velez/velez2-8-06.asp