Rafael Trelles

Rafael Trelles (born April 27, 1957) is a postmodern artist from Puerto Rico.

Urban art

On Concrete (Urban Graphic in Buenos Aires) – Documentary (2007)

En Concreto (translates to On Concrete) is an artistic project of urban interventions developed by Rafael Trelles since the summer of 2004 on the walls, side walks and utility poles of several cities including the island of Vieques. It's an experimental graphic work originally designed for placing in abandoned sectors of worldwide cities. Proyecto 'ace traces and documents the development of this landmark public exhibition in the city of Buenos Aires into film.

Life and education

Rafael Trelles was born on April 27, 1957, in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He began studying painting at the age of eleven, under the guidance of the Catalan painter, Julio Yort. In 1980, Trelles graduated from the University of Puerto Rico having obtained a bachelor's degree in fine arts, magna cum laude. In 1983, he pursued graduate studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (the National University of Mexico). At present, he resides and works in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Individual exhibitions

2020 The Imagined Word, drawing exhibition. Point of Contact Gallery, Syracuse University, Nueva York.

La palabra imaginada, exhibición de dibujos. Museo de Las Américas, San Juan Puerto Rico.

2018 Santurce, un libro mural, Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art. Santurce, Puerto Rico.

2015 Flora, un encuentro con las acuarelas de Agustín Stahl. San Juan Bautista Gallery, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2013 Samsa, digital photography; sala Aljibe, Carmen de la Victoria, Granada, España.

2012 Intersections, new paintings, Bayamón Museum of Art, Puerto Rico.

2011 Intersections, new paintings, Taller Puertorriqueño, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

En concreto, gráfica urbana (In Concrete, Urban Graphics), presentation of portfolios and 6 documentaries. Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico, Santurce, Puerto Rico.

2009 Samsa, digital photography. Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art. Santurce, Puerto Rico.

2007 Figuraciones sobre plástico (Representations in Plastic), exhibition of drawings. Galería 356, San Juan Puerto Rico, (shared hall with María Antonia Ordoñez).

En concreto, gráfica urbana en Buenos Aires (In Concrete, Urban Graphics in Buenos Aires), Proyecto Ace, Buenos Aires Argentina. Resident Artist, urban interventions and exhibitions.

Performance Autorretrato según Paret, carta a un Presidente (Self-Portrait According to Paret, Letter to a President). Plaza de la Convalecencia, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.

	    En concreto, gráfica urbana en Vieques (In Concrete, Urban Graphics in 	Vieques), presentation of portfolio of digital graphics.  Fuerte del Conde Mirasol, 	Vieques, Puerto Rico.

2006 En concreto, gráfica urbana en Vieques (In Concrete, Urban Graphics in Vieques), presentation of portfolio of digital graphics. Raúl Juliá Theater, Puerto Rico Museum of Art, Santurce, Puerto Rico.

En concreto (gráfica urbana en Mayagüez) (In Concrete, Urban Graphics in Mayagüez), Parque de los Próceres, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. Urban interventions, showing of documentary, conference.

Performance En concreto (gráfica urbana en el Ponce Art Museum), (In Concrete, Urban Graphics in the Ponce Museum of Art), sidewalk, Ponce Museum of Art. Project Círculo del Arte, Ponce, Puerto Rico.

2005 Installation and Performance Natividad (Nativity), Galería Sin Título, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Performance En concreto (gráfica urbana en Vieques), (In Concrete, Urban Graphics in Vieques), land formerly belonging to the Navy, Vieques, Puerto Rico.

Exhibition En concreto (gráfica urbana), (In Concrete, Urban Graphics), Conde de Mirasol Museum, Vieques, Puerto Rico.

Exhibition En Concreto (gráfica urbana), (In Concrete, Urban Graphics), Galería Botello, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.

2004 Exhibition En Concreto (gráfica urbana) (In Concrete, Urban Graphics), Gallery of Universidad del Sagrado Corazón (Sacred Heart University), Santurce, Puerto Rico.

2003 Exhibition of paintings, Poliedro (Polyhedron), Puerto Rico Museum of Art, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2001 Exhibition of paintings Crónicas del Asombro (Chronicles of Wonder), Banco Bilbao Vizcaya, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

2000 Installation Visitas al Velorio, Museo de San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico

1999 Exhibition of painting, Elite Fine Arts Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States

1997 Exhibition of paintings Paisaje Secreto (Secret Landscape), Ponce Museum of Art, Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Exhibition of paintings, Elite Fine Arts Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States.

1996 Installation Visitas al Velorio, Ponce Museum of History, Ponce, Puerto Rico.

1993 Exhibition of paintings, El Jardín del Poeta (The Poet’s Garden), Galería Botello, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1992 Exhibition of drawings, Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art, Edificio Centro Europa, Santurce, Puerto Rico.

1991 Installation Visitas al Velorio, Museum of History, Anthropology and Art, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.

1990 Exhibition of paintings and drawings, Gallery Renaissance III, New Jersey, United States.

1989 Exhibition of drawings Casa Fleming, 15to. Festival del Café (15th Coffee Festival), Yauco, Puerto Rico.

Exhibition of drawings, Library of the Colegio Universitario de Humacao, Humacao, Puerto Rico.

1988 Exhibition of African-American drawings, Centro Universitario, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.

Exhibition of drawings, Librería Hermes, Condado, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1987 Exhibition of drawings, Un camino hacia la magia (One Step Toward Magic), Art League, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1986 Exhibition of paintings, El tarot del universo (Universal Tarot), Café Teatro El Aquisitio, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain..

1985 Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings, and Lithography, Edificio del Laboratorio de Pantomima, San Ángel, Universidad Autónoma de México, Mexico City.

1983 Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings, and Lithography, Galería Guatibirí, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.

1982 Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings, and Lithography, Galería Guatibirí, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.

1979 Exhibition of drawings, Francisco Oller Gallery, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico.

Awards

2011 Culture Medal, Alegría Foundation, Dr. Ricardo Alegría. San Juan Puerto Rico.
2009 Premio Innovación y Cambio en la Educación Superior, Curso Humanidades en Acción. Otorgado por el Centro para la Excelencia Académica (Innovation and Change in Higher Education Award, Humanities in Action.

       Awarded by the 	Center for Academic Excellence), University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras.

2008 Prize for Best Exhibition of 2007, Asociación de Críticos de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Critics Association).
2005 Prize for Best Exhibition of 2004 in Contemporary Mediums, Asociación de Críticos de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Critics Association).
1998 Art Medal granted by the Asociación Puertorriqueña de Artistas Plásticos (Puerto Rican Artists Association), affiliated with UNESCO.
1996 "Premio al Mérito, por la excelencia en su trayectoria artístico-cultural." (Prize for Artistic Excellence), Fondo Nacional para el Financiamiento del Quehacer Cultural de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rican National Fund for the Financing of Cultural Activities).
1992 Prize granted by the Puerto Rico Critics Association for the Best Installation of 1991.
1986 First prize in the drawing category in the competition sponsored by Revista Sin Nombre, Puerto Rico.
1981 First prize in the painting category in the competition sponsored by Revista Sin Nombre, Puerto Rico.