Rafael Trelles

Rafael Trelles began studying painting at the age of eleven, under the guidance of Spanish painter Julio Yort. In 1980, Trelles received his doctorate from the University of Mexico, Mexico City. In 1985, he moved to the Canary Islands in Spain and began to explore alchemy, mysticism and magic. He developed the technique of combining naturalistic drawings of flora and fauna in ways that suggest overtones of ethereal significance. His paintings are suffused with hints of hidden insight and awareness. He first showed with October Gallery in 2018, as part of the exhibition Portal with a series of works called Flora, in which he invites the viewer into a naturalist trance.

Trelles has been exhibited internationally including, Elite Fine Arts Gallery, Florida; Queens Museum of Art, New York, USA; the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts (CMCArts), Frederiksted, Saint Croix, US Virgin Islands; and Galería de Arte del Complejo Cultural BUAP, Puebla, Mexico. In 2018, a major exhibition Santurce, un libro mural, was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico. His work is in many collections including: Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico, Santurce, Puerto Rico; Ramapo College Museum, New Jersey, USA; and University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.