Firelei Báez b. 1980, Dominican Republic
Firelei Báez is interested in how culture and identity are shaped by inherited histories. Her work reveals the incomplete nature of our communal stories while constructing more egalitarian social narratives so a more equitable future might emerge.
Portraiture is a key aspect of Báez’s work. She sees the human body as the most direct link between artist, viewer, and subject. Across the mediums of painting, sculpture, drawing and installation, she layers strong, confident, imaginative portraits of Afrodiasporic figures over physical and conceptual echoes of the past. In her portraits, aspects of her personal identity are evident, revealing the intense personal connection Báez feels to the stories she is telling.
Materially, Báez makes work that looks both old and new. She sometimes achieves this aesthetic using traditional materials like acrylic paint on canvas, but more often paints her images directly onto found materials, such as pages from old scientific manuals, travelogues, or biographies of political figures published during key historical moments. On these surfaces, Báez layers the fabric of the past with visions of a newly imagined present. This is the meeting place of past, present, and future, where she creates what art historian Portia Malatjie called “a space of possibility, a space where fictional alternative universes are imagined, often with strong female protagonists.”
The inescapable conclusion Báez exposes is that history is not fixed. Her latest works continue her ongoing examination of historical narratives, focusing particularly on issues surrounding territory, industry, and what it means to be a “true, blue” American. These works are unique, but are also part of a continual unfolding, a process of revelation transpiring in exhibitions from Venice and Berlin to New York and Chicago.
Each exhibition is one new point of access to a much larger field of discovery—what Báez calls a “third space of refuge,” where forgotten history can be recalled and new paths forward can be imagined. By untying and re-tying the knots of history, she hopes to create a generative, productive space, where the bellicose ledger of the past can make way for new accounts of what we hope to become and where individual viewers can search for themselves.
Major exhibitions of Báez work include Firelei Báez, Mennellow Museum of American Art, Orlando, FL, USA; Firelei Báez, Witte de With Center for Contremporary Art, Rotterdam, NL; Joy Out of Fire, Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, USA; Firelei Báez: Bloodlines, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), FL, USA; 10th Berlin Biennial, Berlin, DE; Firelei Báez: How To Slip Out Of Your Body Quietly, Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL, USA; Firelei Báez: Bloodlines, Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; and The Modern Window, MoMA, New York, NY, USA. Báez has received numerous awards, including the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts 2020; Soros Arts Fellowship 2019; United States Artists Fellowship 2019; Institute of Contemporary Art Boston Watershed Artist 2019; College Art Association Artist Award for Distinguished Body of Work 2018; Future Generation Art Prize 2017; Chiaro Award 2016; and Joan Mitchell Painters & Sculptors Grant 2011. Her work belongs to the permanent collections of such institutions as the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY; Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, MO; PAMM, Miami, FL; Cleveland Clinic Fine Art Collection, Cleveland, OH; Phillip and Tracey Riese Foundation, New York, NY; San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA; Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY; Sindika Dokolo Foundation Collection, Luanda, Angola; Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, GA; and Salomon Foundation for Contemporary Art, Annecy, France.
Báez lives and works in New York, NY.
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Firelei BáezOoloi Ciguapa (mass pedigrees of masterpieces unsold), 2018Gouache on paper96 x 51 in
243.8 x 129.5 cm -
Firelei BáezLuminously Indiscreet, 2018Acrylic on canvas108 x 192 in
274.3 x 487.7 cm -
Firelei BáezYears of holding your tongue, 2018Gouache on paper93 1/2 x 51 in
237.5 x 129.5 cm -
Firelei BáezA power visible to itself (luminously indiscreet), 2018Oil on canvas with frame65 x 50 in
165.1 x 127 cm -
Firelei Báez19° 36' 16.89" N, 72° 13' 6.95" W) / (52.4042° N,13.0385° E", 2018Acrylic, sheetrock, and steel236 x 354 in
599.4 x 899.2 cm -
Firelei BáezConstellation (Movements reimagined), 2019Oil and Acrylic on canvas40 x 30 x 2 in
101.6 x 76.2 x 5.1 cm -
Firelei BáezDisplacing all reduction, 2017Acrylic on yupo paper30 x 20 in
76.2 x 50.8 cm -
Firelei BáezElegant gathering in a secluded garden (or the many bridges we crossed), 2018Acrylic on canvas108 x 192 in
274.3 x 487.7 cm -
Firelei Báezfor Marie-Louise Coidavid, exiled, keeper of order, Anacaona, 2018Oil on canvas126 x 208 in
320 x 528.3 cm
(wall) antique frame app. 70 x 40 in -
Firelei BáezHow to slip out of your body quietly, 2018Gouache on paper70 x 118 in
177.8 x 299.7 cm -
Firelei BáezI write love poems, too (The right to non-imperative clarities), 2018Acrylic, ink, and chine-collé on deaccessioned book pages96 x 224 in
243.8 x 569 cm -
Firelei BáezJoy Out of Fire, 2018Acrylic on Teklon108 x 156 in
274.3 x 396.2 cm -
Firelei Báezliving monuments in historical chapters, 2018Acrylic and ink on canvas93 1/2 x 121 in
237.5 x 307.3 cm -
Firelei Báezroots when they are young and most tender, 20182 paintings, 4-6 hand painted papier-mâché sculptures, 40’x30’ hand painted blue tarp, chicken wire and foliagedimensions variable
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Firelei BáezStudy in Blue (We have come to stir the other world, to cleanse ourselves, to connect our living to the dead here), 2018Acrylic and ink on canvas with painted tarp8 x 20 in
20.3 x 50.8 cm -
Firelei BáezTo clear my libraries of any stories passed down to me that do not hold our name in high regard, 2018Acrylic on canvas48 x 36 in
121.9 x 91.4 cm -
Firelei BáezTo write fire until it is every breath, 2018Acrylic on canvas108 x 192 in
274.3 x 487.7 cm -
Firelei BáezUntitled, 2018Acrylic on canvas108 x 192 in
274.3 x 487.7 cm -
Firelei BáezWhat is here is, as much as this there, 2017Acrylic on yupo paper30 x 20 in
76.2 x 50.8 cm -
Firelei BáezA motor with medicinal function, 2018Acrylic gauche on paper90 x 110 in
228.6 x 279.4 cm -
Firelei Báezfor Marie-Louise Coidavid, exiled, keeper of order, Anacaona, 2017Oil on canvas84 x 60 in
213.4 x 152.4 cm -
Firelei BáezIndex (given the ground one has to actively look away), 2018Acrylic gauche on paper90 x 180 in
228.6 x 457.2 cm -
Firelei BáezJosephine Judas GOAT (it does not disturb me to accept that there are places where my identity is obscure to me, and the fact that it amazes you does not mean I relinquish it), 2017Oil on canvas84 x 60 in
213.4 x 152.4 cm -
Firelei BáezMagnitude and Bond, 2018Acrylic on canvas108 x 192 in
274.3 x 487.7 cm -
Firelei BáezThose who would douse it (it does not disturb me to accept that there are places where my identity is obscure to me, and the fact that it amazes you does not mean I relinquish it), 2018Acrylic, ink, and chine-collé on deaccessioned book pagesVariable dimensions (58 antique book pages)
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Firelei BáezUntitled, 2017Acrylic and ink on de-accessioned book pages16 x 12 in
40.6 x 30.5 cm -
Firelei BáezUntitled, 2017Acrylic and ink on de-accessioned book pages16 x 12 in
40.6 x 30.5 cm -
Firelei BáezUntitled, 2017Acrylic and ink on de-accessioned book pages16 x 12 in
40.6 x 30.5 cm -
Firelei BáezUntitled, 2017Acrylic and ink on de-accessioned book pages16 x 12 in
40.6 x 30.5 cm -
Firelei BáezUntitled, 2017Acrylic and ink on de-accessioned book pages16 x 12 in
40.6 x 30.5 cm
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Firelei Báez, Immersion into Compounded Time
Mennello Museum of Art | Orlando, FL 2 Jul - 1 Sep 2019The Mennello Museum of American Art is pleased to present IMMERSION INTO COMPOUNDED TIME AND THE PAINTINGS OF FIRELEI BÁEZ . The exhibition will be on view at the...Read more -
Firelei Báez, On the High Line En Plein Air
The High Line | NYC 1 May 2019 - 1 May 2020En Plein Air , inspired by the unique site of the High Line, examines and expands the tradition of outdoor painting. The title refers to the mid-19th century practice of...Read more -
Idea Sale
Kavi Gupta | 219 N. Elizabeth St. Chicago, IL, 60607 13 Apr - 1 Jun 2019Kavi Gupta is pleased to present Idea Sale, a group exhibition of original works by Glenn Kaino, Jae Jarrell, Wadsworth Jarrell, Manish Nai, Scott Reeder, Tony Tasset, José Lerma, Jessica Stockholder, and Angel Otero.Read more -
Firelei Báez, New Work
Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art | Rotterdam, Netherlands 27 Jan - 12 May 2019In this exhibition, a new body of work is presented featuring three paintings and a immersive installation manifest from the artist’s research on the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) and its enduring significance.Read more -
Firelei Báez, How to Slip Out of Your Body Quietly
Kavi Gupta | 835 W. Washington St. Chicago, IL, 60607 15 Sep - 14 Nov 2018Kavi Gupta Gallery presents its first solo exhibition of new work by Dominican-American artist Firelei Báez, whose monumental installation at the recent 10th Berlin Biennale and concurrent solo exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem continue to receive international acclaim.Read more -
Parallel Lives
Kavi Gupta | 835 W. Washington St. Chicago, IL, 60607 16 Jun - 24 Aug 2018Kavi Gupta is pleased to present Parallel Lives. This group exhibition brings a diverse selection of contemporary artists working in figuration and portraiture: Firelei Baez, Alfred Conteh, Inka Essenhigh, Jeffrey Gibson, Glenn Kaino, Titus Kaphar, Basil Kincaid, & Devan Shimoyama. Each artist approaches the motif through unique technical applications and each has their own personal conceptual goals, however, the exhibition seeks to unite how the human subject in art serves as a channel between artist and audience, or audience to audience.Read more -
Firelei Báez, Berlin Biennale
Akademie der Künste | Berlin, Germany 6 Jun - 9 Sep 2018Kavi Gupta congratulates Firelei Báez on her participation in the 10th Berlin Biennale.Read more -
Firelei Báez, To See Beyond
Contemporary Art Center | Cincinnati, OH 18 May - 19 Aug 2018"There's a fluidity of color, of race, in the Caribbean … In America, you're black.” Caribbean-born, Brooklyn-based artist Firelei Báez navigates a broad spectrum of color, race and identity in her first Ohio exhibition.Read more -
Firelei Báez, Joy Out Of Fire
The Studio Museum in Harlem in partnership with the Schomburg 1 May - 24 Nov 2018Firelei Báez: Joy Out of Fire continues the artist’s longstanding interest in representations of women, particularly Afro-Caribbean/Afro-Latina women in visual culture and history. In this exhibition, Báez features women whose...Read more -
Firelei Báez, Vessels of Genealogies
DePaul Art Museum | Chicago, IL 17 Apr - 6 Aug 2017Firelei Báez is a Dominican-American artist whose large-scale paintings, drawings, and textiles evoke the beauty and political implications of hairstyles, textiles, and tattoos for those whose cultural identities have remained...Read more -
Firelei Báez, Bloodlines
The Andy Warhol Museum | Pittsburgh, PA 17 Feb - 21 May 2017Firelei Báez: Bloodlines is organized by Pérez Art Museum Miami Assistant Curator María Elena Ortiz.Read more -
Firelei Báez, Bloodlines
Pérez Art Museum | Miami, FL 15 Oct 2015 - 6 Mar 2016Tracing the history of social movements in the Unites States and the Caribbean, Bloodlines presents a series of new works by Firelei Báez (b. 1981, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic; lives in New York) inspired by lineages of black resistance.Read more
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Game-Changing Artists and Curators of Color Showcased in New Book
Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews, February 3, 2021 -
FIRELEI BÁEZ AMONG 2020 HERB ALPERT AWARD WINNERS — ARTFORUM, 05.27.2020
Artforum, May 27, 2020 -
BOSTON’S ICA SELECTS FIRELEI BÁEZ FOR THIRD WATERSHED COMMISSION
ARTFORUM, October 11, 2019 -
DOMINICAN MULTIMEDIA ARTIST FIRELEI BÁEZ NAMED ICA WATERSHED ARTIST FOR 2020
Chris Triunfo, The Boston Globe, October 10, 2019 -
NAVIGATING THE PORTALS BETWEEN WORKS BY LIGIA LEWIS AND FIRELEI BAEZ — DIXA RAMÍREZ D'OLEO
Dixa Ramírez D'oleo, HYPERALLERGIC, September 26, 2019 -
FIRELEI BÁEZ AT THE MENNELLO MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
Jean Marie Carey, Arte Fuse, July 2, 2019 -
FIRELEI BÁEZ’S INTOXICATING INSTALLATION IS A FEMINIST ODE TO THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
Julia Wolkoff, Artsy, May 3, 2019 -
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION NAMES WINNERS OF 2019 SOROS ARTS FELLOWSHIPS
Annie Armstrong, Artnews, April 25, 2019 -
LEXICON: THE LANGUAGE OF GESTURE IN 25 YEARS AT KEMPER MUSEUM
Breeze Richardson, Cision PRWEB, April 24, 2019 -
ARTIST PROPOSALS FOR SHIRLEY CHISHOLM MONUMENT IN NEW YORK REVEALED
Claire Selvin, ARTnews, March 27, 2019 -
SEE THE FIVE ARTIST PROPOSALS FOR NYC’S SHIRLEY CHISHOLM MONUMENT
Zachary Small, HYPERALLERGIC, March 27, 2019 -
SEE PROPOSALS BY MICKALENE THOMAS, FIRELEI BÁEZ, AND OTHERS FOR A MONUMENT TO THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO SERVE IN CONGRESS
Sarah Cascone, Artnet News, March 27, 2019 -
NEXT UP ON THE HIGH LINE IN NEW YORK: PAINTINGS
Annie Armstrong, ARTnews, February 5, 2019 -
STUDIO VISIT: FIRELEI BÁEZ
Isabel Custodio, MOMA Magazine, November 14, 2018 -
REDRAWING THE HISTORY OF WOMEN OF COLOR IN VIBRANT HUES
Julia Friedman, HYPERALLERGIC, November 7, 2018 -
FIRELEI BÁEZ WITH HỒNG-ÂN TRƯƠNG
Hồng-Ân Trương, The Brooklyn Rail, November 1, 2018 -
EVEN AS BREXIT LOOMS, GALLERIES NOTCH SALES ON FRIEZE LONDON’S OPENING DAY (EXCERPT)
Judd Tully, ARTnews, October 3, 2018 -
CHICAGO EXPO HIGHLIGHTS ART, DESIGN, AND ARCHITECTURE THROUGHOUT THE WINDY CITY (EXCERPT)
Brook Mason, Architectural Digest, September 28, 2018 -
WHAT NOT TO MISS AT FRIEZE LONDON (EXCERPT)
Adam Heardman, Mutual Art, September 26, 2018 -
HOW FIRELEI BÁEZ USES YORUBA ICONS AND HER AFRO-CARIBBEAN HERITAGE IN HER PROFOUND ‘JOY OUT OF FIRE’ MURALS
Jasmin Hernandez, Artnet News, September 14, 2018 -
TWO NEW SHOWS AT CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER LOOK AT IDENTITY FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES
Leyla Shokoohe, City Beat, July 9, 2018 -
AN ARTIST FINDS INSPIRATION IN WOMEN OF COLOR THROUGHOUT HISTORY
Tess Thackara, New York Times Style, June 19, 2018 -
THE POWERFUL WOMEN OF FIRELEI BÁEZ
Roxana Fabius, Contemporary AND, May 15, 2018 -
BERLIN BIENNALE RELEASES ARTIST LIST FOR TENTH EDITION
ART FORUM, April 25, 2018 -
HERE’S THE FULL LIST OF PARTICIPATING ARTISTS FOR THE 10TH BERLIN BIENNALE
Kate Brown, ART NET, April 25, 2018 -
ARTIST LIST FOR 10TH EDITION
E-Flux, April 25, 2018 -
COLLEGE ART ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2018 AWARDS FOR DISTINCTION (EXCERPT)
ARTnews, January 26, 2018 -
FIRELEI BAEZ’S STIRRING, NEW MEDITATIONS ON FEMININITY
Andy Smith, HI-Fructose, December 15, 2017 -
AT THE KEMPER, A ‘TREASURE HUNT’ LEADS FROM COLONIAL LOUISIANA TO TODAY’S KANSAS CITY
Vicky Diaz-Camacho, KCUR NPR Kansas City, August 25, 2017 -
FIRELEI BAEZ ON GENEROSITY AND FREEDOM IN ART
Asterix Journal, July 6, 2017 -
THIS IS WHAT INTERSECTIONAL FEMINIST ART LOOKS LIKE
Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, June 21, 2017 -
Firelei Baez: Bloodlines tackles race, gender and history at The Warhol
Amani Newton, Pittsburgh City Paper, April 19, 2017 -
IN CONVERSATION WITH FIRELEI BÁEZ: HER WONDROUS EXIHIBIT ‘BLOODLINES’ AND HER EXPLORATION OF BLACK WOMANHOOD
Jasmin Hernandez, Gallery Gurls, March 1, 2017 -
FIRELEI BÁEZ’S COMPLEX STUDIES OF FEMALE IDENTITY SHOW WHY SHE’S AN ARTIST FOR OUR TIME
Jared Quinton, Artsy, February 9, 2016 -
FIRST LOOK: FIRELEI BÁEZ
Art in America, Wendy Vogel, December 17, 2015 -
FIRELEI BÁEZ’S STUNNING PAMM EXHIBIT, “BLOODLINES,” DISSECTS COMPLEX RACIAL IDENTITIES
Stassa Edwards, Miami New Times, December 1, 2015 -
UTAH MUSEUM EXHIBITS ART OF AWARD-WINNING PAINTER
Mikey Kettinger, Utah Public Radio, October 13, 2015 -
PROSPECT.3: NOTES FOR NOW IN NEW ORLEANS
Paul Laster, WhiteHot Magazine, November 1, 2014 -
ART REVIEW: FIRELEI BAEZ AT RICHARD HELLER GALLERY
Holly Myers, LA TIMES BLOG, April 14, 2012
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FIRELEI BÁEZ AWARDED UNITED STATES ARTISTS GRANT
01.23.19Each year, Chicago based United States Artists awards up to 50 unrestricted grants of $50,000 to artists of all disciplines working in the United States. This year, Firelei Báez is amongst the 45 grantees.Read more -
DON’T MISS: FIRELEI BÁEZ AT THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM
07.11.2018We want to take a moment to express our gratitude for all of the encouraging press that has been coming out ever since Firelei Báez:...Read more -
FIRELEI BÁEZ AT THE BERLIN BIENNALE
06.26.2018We’re so proud of Firelei Báez for her contribution to this year’s Berlin BiennaleRead more