User:Ilianafz/sandbox

= Rafa Esparza = Rafa Esparza (born 1981) is an American artist of Mexican descent who currently works and resides in Los Angeles, California. Esparza's work consists of live performances and art pieces that represent his personal narratives of sexual identity in Chicano history. Esparza's artwork shines light on unrepresented and minority communities. Esparza also promotes male sexuality, family, and colonization

Life and Education
Esparza is the son of immigrant parents and was born and raised in Pasadena,California. Esparza attended East Los Angeles College with a focus on performance art. Thereafter, Esparza finished his studies at UCLA, earning a degree in fine arts.

Work/Career
Esparza's father, having worked in construction, observed and learned the exhausting practice of adobe brick making at the young age of 14 years old. This knowledge would later influence Esparza and be the foundation to many of his well known Adobe Brick Art.

Notable Moments
2014: Recipient of an Emerging Artist California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Arts

2015: Recipient of a Rema Hort Mann Foundation Emerging Artist Grant in New York

2016: Hammer Museum, Los Angeles

2017: Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Award

2019: Performed at art institutions including Performance Space New York and the Ellipse, Washington, D.C.

2020: Esparza initiated self organized large scale projects such as most recently In Plain Sight in collaboration with Cassils

2021: Featured on the cover of UnitedStatesartists magazine

2021: Featured in a published art illustrated book called PRIME by Phaidon

2021: Exhibit: Rafa Esparza: Verde

2022: Wins Pérez Art Museum’s $50,000 Prize

Contact
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elrafaesparza/

Email: info@rafaesparzastudio.com

Website: https://commonwealthandcouncil.com/us/rafa-esparza