Reverberacíon, Museo de Arte Moderno Cartagena

In Reverberation, Raelis Vasquez positions his sensible gaze in the dynamics of the Caribbean individual ‘s practices of exchange & collaboration as a form of subsistence for Afro-descendant communities.

The quotidian scenes in traditional food markets that exist in the Dominican Republic and in Cartagena, Colombia, are evidence of the importance that the artist places on informality,  manifested as the essence of the practices of exchange, thus identifying the scenes as autonomous spaces that symbolize resistance.  

https://artishockrevista.com/2025/04/01/raelis-vasquez-pintar-con-luz/

Raelis’ construction of a visual and affective universe is charged by the minutiae that captures the essence of feeling and by the scenes that can be perceived as replicating and projecting the continuous effect of the African heritage in the aforementioned territories. In his paintings, Vasquez enhances his discourse with the expressive strength of his brush strokes and use of color. 

With his practice, Vasquez exalts scenarios of encounters and relationships, manifesting with his works, the genuine character of the African diaspora. His images capture social interactions that perpetuate and reverberate traditions, including body language, spatial distribution, and the arrangement of the food found in these markets. These scenes reaffirm the ritual character of a practice that at its root, has a nature of barter and exchange.