Four BIPOC Artists Based In Houston You Should Know
Jasmine Zelaya, Fan Boys., 2017, Gouache, Silver Leaf, Swarovski Rhinestones, Pearl Flatbacks and ink on Arches Watercolor Paper, 22” x 30
Image: Jasmine Zelaya Studio
it's never TOTALLY necessary to identify artists of color solely by racial or gender identities, but history continues to overlook the important work being done by some of the world's most poignant thinkers and makers. As we prepare for the 2021 Texas Biennial, here's a snapshot of Houston-based artists to watch.
Colby Deal
(b. 1988)
Colby Deal works at the intersection of documentary portraiture and street photography. Born and raised in Houston, Texas he is deeply ingrained in capturing the lives and narratives of Black Southerners, especially those within his native Third Ward community.
Matt Manalo
(b. 1984)
Matt Manalo is a visual artist and founder of the Filipinx Artists of Houston collective. Born in Manila, Philippines, Manalo uses his work to explore colonization alongside the geographic and historical parallels between Texas and the Philippines.
Stephanie Concepcion Ramirez
(b. 1984)
Stephanie Concepcion Ramirez, por amor, 2019, single channel 1080p video with sound, 1 minute and 34 seconds.
Stephanie Concepcion Ramirez is a Salvador-American artist whose work is heavily inspired by the history and cultures within the Central American diaspora. Originally from Prince George's County, Maryland, Ramirez currently lives and works on the traditional land of the Akokisa tribe, better known today as Pearland, Texas.
Jasmine Zelaya
(b.1983)
Jasmine Zelaya, Our Systems are Failing Us, Installation at Project Row Houses. 2020.
Image: Jasmine Zelaya Studio
Jasmine Zelaya is a first-generation Honduran-American painter whose color-blocking, mixed media portraits combine the aesthetics of the 1970s with craft materials like rhinestones and glitter. Her work has been the focus of a number of public art projects including Rice University’s Moody Center of the Arts, Downtown Houston's Discovery Green and the Main Street Marquee.
