Rachel Tapia is a Chicana New Mexican oil painter whose work is a visual metaphor of Catholic religious commentary. Their work is inspired by baroque imagery, traditional Mexican art, and Spanish Catholic paintings. Born in Albuquerque, they received a BFA in studio art from UNM in 2013.
Rachel has exhibited in galleries throughout the Southwest. In Albuquerque, they are represented by Lapis Room. In addition, they have shown work at Secret Gallery, Tortuga Gallery, and Garagedoor Gallery. Rachel has also shown in Santa Fe at Hecho Gallery, and in Denver at CHAC Gallery.
My personal work explores the canvas as a stage, using characters with dramatic theatricality to evoke decadent, moody settings. The subjects of my work explore melancholic characters, overt sexuality, and the disillusionment of religion. The majority of my paintings deal with non-duality; finding beauty in ugliness, pleasure within pain, control within chaos, and vice-versa. I like balancing two opposing energies that cannot exist without the other.
