Firelei Báez

Biography

Born

Born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, 1981
Lives and works in New York, NY

Education

BFA Cooper Union School for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York NY, 2004

Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan ME, 2008

MFA, Hunter College, New York NY, 2010

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2024

Hauser & Wirth, 'Firelei Báez. The Fact That It Amazes Me Does Not Mean I Relinquish It', Los Angeles CA
Vancouver Art Gallery, 'Firelei Baez', Vancouver, Canada (Traveling Exhibition) 

Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, 'Firelei Báez: Trust Memory Over History', Wolfsburg, Germany (Traveling Exhibition)

South London Gallery, 'Firelei Báez: Sueño de la Madrugada (A Midnight’s Dream)', London, UK 

ICA Boston, 'Firelei Baez', Boston MA (Traveling Exhibition) 

2023

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 'Firelei Báez: Trust Memory Over History', Copenhagen, Denmark (Traveling Exhibition)

Selected Group Exhibitions

2025

Benton Museum of Art at Pomona, 'Black Ecologies in Contemporary American Art', Claremont CA 

2024

Historic Hampton House, 'Invisible Luggage', Miami FL
Whitney Museum of American Art, 'Shifting Landscapes', New York NY
The 8th Floor, 'Narrative Obsession in the Post-Colonial Psyche', New York NY
Des Moines Art Center, 'Hurricane Season', Des Moines IA
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 'Surrealism and Us: Caribbean and African Diasporic Artists since 1940', Fort Worth TX

Awards & Residencies

2022

Fine Arts Work Center Honoree, Provincetown MA

Cooper Union President’s Citation Award, New York NY

2021

Philip Guston Rome Prize, American Academy in Rome, Italy

Artes Mundi 9, Cardiff, Wales

Public & Special Projects

2023

Buffalo AKG Cornelia Café Commission, Buffalo NY

2019

En Plein Air, High Line Art Commission, New York NY

Bibliography

Monographs

2023

Shire, Warsan, Rasmussen Kielsen, Katrine, Fernandéz Campa, Marta (et al.), 'Firelei Báez: Trust Memory Over History', Humlebaek: Louisiana Publications, 2023, ill. (exh. cat.)

2022

Norr, David (ed.), 'Firelei Báez: to breathe full and free', New York: Gregory R. Miller & Co., 2022, ill.

Publications

2024

Alemina, Cecilia, 'Elevated. Art on the High Line', New York: Monacelli/Friends of the High Line, 2024, pp. 32-33, ill.

Myers-Szupinska, Julian (ed.), 'Surrealism and Us: Caribbean and African Diasporic Artists Since 1940', Fort Worth: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 2024, pp. 85, 186, 190, ill. (exh. cat.)

2023

Hey-Colón, Rebeca L., 'Channeling Knowledges: Water and Afro-diasporic Spirits in Latinx and Caribbean Worlds', Austin: University of Texas Press, 2023

Selected Press

2025

Barrant, Jordan, 'At the ICA, Caribbean Artists Provide Portals to Other Worlds, But Who Enters?', on: bostonartreview.com, 14 January 2025, ill.
Cascone, Sarah, 'What Caught Collector Komal Shah’s Eye at Fog Design and Art Fair', on: artnet.com, 27 January 2025, ill.

Sienra, Regina, 'Firelei Báez Brings Explosive Explorations on Race, Gender, and Nationality to Vancouver Art Gallery', on: mymodernmet.com, 19 February 2025, ill.

2024

Artforum Video, 'Firelei Báez' [video interview], in: Under the Influence, Artforum, 19 December 2024
Suarez-Kanerva, Lorien, 'Firelei Báez Exhibition at Hauser & Wirth LA', on: whitehotmagazine.com, 16 December 2024, ill.
Dambrot, Shana Nys, Hinjinx Arts, '13ThingsLA: December 11' [review], on: hijinxarts.substack.com, 10 December 2024, ill.
Pacheco, Paloma, 'Painter Firelei Báez Confronts the Pervasive Impact of Colonialism Through Immersive Artworks at the Vancouver Art Gallery' [review], on: montecristomagazine.com, Winter 2024, ill.
Baez, Firelei, in: 'Erotic Review', no. 2, Autumn/Winter 2024, pp. 108-115, 165, ill.

The Editors of ARTnews, 'ARTnews Announces ARTnews Awards', on: artnews.com, 19 November 2024
Akers, Torey, '"It's a process of following your curiosity": Firelei Báez on her exhibitions in Los Angeles and Vancouver', on: theartnewspaper.com, 19 November 2024, ill.
Ditmars, Hadani, 'A painterly yet political vision of the world', in: The Globe and Mail, Toronto, 9 November 2024, ill.
Ebert, Grace, '"Crafted Kinship" Unravels the Creative Practices of 60 Carribbean Artists, Designers, and Makers', on: thisiscolossal.com, 8 November 2024, ill.
Smith, Janet, 'History and folklore flow together in Firelei Báez’s large-scale works at the Vancouver Art Gallery', on: createastir.ca, 6 November 2024, ill.
Cole, Meredyth, '“Firelei Báez” uses light to expose dark histories', on: straight.com, 7 November 2024, ill.
Urist, Jacoba, 'Firelei Báez’s Paintings Capture the Dominican Diasporic Experience', on: wmagazine.com, 7 November 2024, ill.
Laster, Paul, '6 Must-See Solo Gallery Shows in November', on: galeriemagazine.com, 6 November 2024, ill.
Keshav, Leela, 'Firelei Báez. "Sueño de la Madrugada (A Midnight's Dream)' [review], in: ArtReview, October 2024, p. 95, ill.
___, 'Firelei Báez "The fact that it amazes me does not mean I relinquish it" @ Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles', on: juxtapoz.com, 20 September 2024, ill.
Pofalla, Boris, 'Firelei Báez in Wolfsburg. Das gesammelte Weltwissen', on: monopol-magazin.de, 18 September 2024, ill.
___, 'Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles opens exhibition of works by Firelei Báez', on: artdaily.com, 13 September 2024, ill.
___, 'Firelei Báez. The Fact That It Amazes Me Does Not Mean I Relinquish It', on: whatweadore.fr, 10 September 2024, ill.
Valentine, Victoria L., 'On View: "Firelei Báez: A Midnight's Dream," Immersive Presentation at South London Gallery is Artist's First Institutional Solo Exhibition in UK', on: culturetype.com, 4 September 2024, ill.
Khela, Ajeet, 'Firelei Báez’s Enchanting Visions of Caribbean Mythology' [review], on: frieze.com, 26 August 2024, ill.
Kane, Ashleigh, 'Art shows to leave the house for in August 2024', on: dazeddigital.com, 1 August 2024, ill.
Almonte, Helina, 'Firelei Báez: Unveiling the Pan-African Diaspora', on: bostonartreview.com, 24 August 2024, ill.
___, 'Firelei Báez: Kunst gegen die Gewalt der Geschichte', on: kunstbar.de, 15 July 2024, ill.
Ortega, Bash, 'Firelei Báez Changes the Past to Create the Future at ICA Boston' [review], on: artefuse.com, 25 July 2024, ill.
___, 'Spellbinding UK Installations', on: aestheticamagazine.com, 25 July 2024, ill.
___, 'Firelei Báez. Trust Memory Over History', on: rainbow-lifestyle.com, 8 July 2024, ill.
Berning Sawa, Dale, 'Firelei Báez review – bring on the furry ciguapas: magnetic visions of diaspora' [review], on: theguardian.com, 2 July 2024, ill.
Di Clemente, Alessia, 'Firelei Báez: pittura come storytelling. La grande artista in mostra a Boston', on: artribune.com, 28 June 2024, ill.
Carollo, Elisa, 'Rewriting Maps and Resisting History: The Art of Firelei Báez at ICA Boston', on: observer.com, 26 June 2024, ill.
Keiju Kita, 'Firelei Báez', in: Bitjutsu Techo, Tokyo, vol. 76, no. 1101, April 2024, pp. 144-145, ill.
Kelleher, Solon, '14 art exhibits to explore this spring', on: wbur.org, 13 March 2024, ill.

Greenberger, Alex, '60 Must-See Exhibitions to Visit This Spring', on: artnews.com, 27 February 2024, ill.

Ebert, Grace, 'Through Vibrant Ruptures, Firelei Báez Untangles Colonialism’s Narrative Knot', on: thisiscolossal.com, 25 January 2024, ill.

Zambeletti, Federica, 'Recharting Histories: Cave_bureau and Firelei Baéz at Louisiana' [interview], on: koozarch.com, 15 January 2024, ill.

Kakar, Arun, '9 Collectors on the Artists, Shows, and Trends to Watch in 2024', on: artsy.net, 12 January 2024, ill.

Rosenau, Mirja, 'Vermessung die der welt', in: art das kunstmagazin, January 2024, pp. 48-58, ill.

Mina, AX, 'Firelei Báez Paints Away the World’s Borders', on: hyperallergic.com, 8 January 2024, ill.