Bio

Born in Granada and raised in Spain and Morocco, Belen spent her adulthood in NY (New York) and now lives and works between Malaga and New York.

Belen’s own visual language reflects her multicultural background bringing together a multitude of geographical and cultural references – the colors of her Andalusia, the intricate textures and patterns of Arab walls, the twists and roughness of olive landscapes and the energy and cultural complexity of NYC (New York City).

Her paintings, photographs, organic sculptures and installations are “dynamic abstractions” that address the interconnections of science and nature from her own perspective as a Spanish-American artist.  Belen’s work speaks about how our own biology and environment are constantly changing. She reflects on the processes of transformation in Nature which we are part of. There is a permanent dynamic between life and death, between chaos and order, between the precarious organic equilibria in organisms and the crises that give rise to their transformations. These “dynamic flows” are the thread of her research and artistic work, as they are by necessity of nature and art.

Solo exhibits

"(Des)Arraigos" Ethnographic Museum Riogordo, Malaga, Spain May-June 2021.

“Peridermis” Sala de Exposiciones Alhaurin el Grande, Málaga, January-February 2019.

“Entropia(S)” Sala de Exposiciones El Portón, Málaga, December 2017-February 2018.

“MoonAge DayDream” Colegio Oficial de Odontólogos de Málaga, April 2016.

 “WaxWorks” Sala de Exposiciones BIC Euronova (PTA), Málaga, October-November 2015.

 “Nature Rewards the Bold” Sala de Exposiciones Juan Carlos I in San Fernando de Henares, Madrid, Spain, September-October 2015.

“Excavations” Centro Cultural de Paracuellos del Jarama, Madrid, Spain, December 2014-January 2015.

“Nature in Motion” Sala de Exposiciones Lope de Vega, Madrid, Spain, November 2014.

“Pintura Encaustica” Sala de Exposiciones Aplama, Málaga, Spain, October 2014.

“Pintar con Fuego” Centro Cultural La Jaramilla. Ayto. de Coslada, Madrid, Spain, October 2013.

“Nature in Motion” Sala de Exposiciones de El Casar, Guadalajara, Spain, March 2014.

Group exhibitions

USA

“Paliengenesis” Collective show curated by Michael David at M. David, Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, September 2019.

“Encaustic Artists in the XXI century” Collective show, Encaustic Art institute, New Mexico, summer 2016.

“Nuances of the Americas” II International art show at the Queen´s Bee Art and Cultural Center, San Diego, August-September 2015.

 “Expressions, Shapes and Colors” San Diego Latino Theater Festival, July 2015.

“Collective Show” at Fifty-Seven Degrees Gallery, San Diego, curated by Guy Lombardo, June 2015.

“Devil is on the Straight Line” at the BakeHouse Arts Center, Miami, Florida, September 2014.

 “Untitled Group Show” at the Latino Art Museum, Pamona, CA, November 2014.

“Nuances of the Americas” I International art show, Centro Cultural de la Raza, Balboa Park, August 2014.

Collective show at Art Upstairs, Phoenicia, NY, September 2014.

Collective show, Encaustic Art Institute, New Mexico, summer 2012.

Collective show at Art Upstairs, Phoenicia, NY, June and July 2012.

Collective show at Art Upstairs in Phoenicia, NY, July 2010.

Portugal

UPP Collective Show, Albufeira Marina, Albufeira, August 2015.

“25 Years Retrospective” United Photo Press, Algarve, June 2015.

Collective show by Trilhos da Terra Art Gallery, Aveiro, March 2015.

Spain

"Luto Land Art Installation" - Diputacion de Malaga - Presencias Exhibit - Calle Pacifico 54, Malaga, Spain, Jan 24 to Feb 22, 2020.

“Corazon Blanco-Corazon Negro” Sala de Exposiciones Alahurin el Grande, Marzo-Junio 2019.

“Arte Malacitano – Biblioteca Provincial de Malaga, Septiembre-Diciembre 2018.

“Culturama en Gira" -- Convento de la Encarnacion, Coin and Cuevas, Malaga, March-April and July-August 2017."

“De la Figuracion a la Abstraccion – Presencias 44“ Pacifico 54 Espacio Expositivo, Diputacion de Malaga, April-May 2017.

“Art against War Collective Show” Sala Juan Carlos I in San Fernando de Henares, Madrid, Enero 2016.

ARTSevilla, Seville International Art Fair, sponsored by Espacio Tres, Malaga, September 2015.

Exposición Colectiva Colegio Oficial de Veterinarios, Málaga. May 2016.

“Espacio Tres Collective Show” at Espacio Tres Gallery, Málaga, May 2015.

“Caprichos” Art Intervention in Malaga´s Botanical Garden, Málaga, April 2015.

“Presencias 41” Diputación de Málaga, Malaga, March 2015.

Collective show by Fiarte at the Centro Cultural Churriana, Granada, April 2015.

Collective show by United Photo Press at the Palacio de Quinta Alegre, Granada, April 2015.

“Presencias 40” Sala Manuel Barbardillo, Málaga Malaga, December 2014.

“Presencias 38” Centro Cultural Provincial María Victoria Atienza, Málaga, August 2014.

“Mujeres Pintoras” Ciudad de la Justicia, Málaga, March 2014.

“Live Surfaces” Sala Barbadillo, Málaga, February 2014.

“Presencias 36” Diputación de Málaga, Malaga, January 2014.

 “Colectiva Pequeño Formato” Aplama, Málaga December 2013.

“Presencias 35” Diputación de Málaga, Málaga, October 2013.

Education

Judy Pfaff Foundation/M David Summer Art Residency - Tivoli, New York, summer 2020.

M David & Co. Art Residency - Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, summer 2019.

Certified by R&F in Advanced Teaching Encaustics, New York, 2015.

Studio classes at the Art Students League of NY and the Woodstock School of Art, New York, 2005-2008.

Graduate courses Art History – Hunter College – 2003, New York, NY, USA.

Master Degree in Communications – Columbia University -- SIPA – 1993, New York, NY, USA.

Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude – Mount Holyoke College – 1990, MA, USA.

Art membership

Aplama - Spain.

IEA (International Encaustic Artists) - USA.

Encaustic Art Institute - USA.

MAV - Mujeres en las Artes Visuales.