LUIS GABRIEL SANABRIA
ABOUT
ARTIST STATEMENT
As a person from a territory that is under ongoing colonization, my practice focuses on explorations of identity through carnival characters. My work addresses the quest to tell both individual and collective history through ancient performative practices. Through encounters, which themselves have their origin in ritual, I understand that there is a potential in this type of performance to approach these spiritual platforms in the political context of the present. Retake the unique social disruption that carnival and its characters offer, as platforms for expression in favor of our definitions of sovereignty in all possible aspects. My work functions as an opening to rethink part of Puerto Rican traditions from other perspectives that start from intimacy, from queerness and from our ecologies. My intention is to create new types of iconographies that show the intersectionalities and complexities that exist in our Caribbean cultures, within the framework of collective festivities. Through disguise, we are able to portray the diverse identities of Puerto Rican entities and their contexts today.
BIO
Luis Gabriel Sanabria is a Puerto Rican multidisciplinary artist. Graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a BFA in Acting and Performing Arts and currently completing an MA on Cultural Management and Administration from the same institution. Luis began his questioning of identity and cultural exploration at a young age, as a result of growing up between the islands of Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. He was part of world-renowned Bread and Puppet Theater located in Vermont, United States, from 2014-2019, where he worked as an artist, performer, instructor and operations manager. Along with the theater company, he traveled through the United States, Canada, Central America and Europe, participating in a wide variety of projects, including the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes in Charleville-Mézières, France, in 2019. He was co-creator of Kuniklo Collective, a multimedia art group that exhibited a solo show entitled "Bohíque" in 2016, at the Roberto Paradise art gallery in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His latest solo show was in 2022 entitled "Carnaval Carnal" at Souvenir 154 art gallery in San Juan, Puerto Rico. During the Fall of 2023, Luis developed an internship program entitled "Wild Clay Pots", a traditional pottery community project consisting of a series of workshops leading to a performance that was presented at Moos Space in Berlin, Germany. In Winter 2023, he participated in the thematic visual arts residency program "Rewilding the Body Eclectic" at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada.
PRESS
Evento Horizonte Vol. 2
PODCASTS
CV
SOLO WORK
2024
May
2024
March-April
2024
March
2024
January
Master's Degree on Cultural Management & Administration, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus
Casa Muyska Artist Residency Program, Leticia, Amazon and Boyacá, Colombia.
Group Exhibition represented by Souvenir 154 at MECA International Art Fair, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Led a Masks and Costumes Made with Natural Materials Workshop at Casa Muyska, Boyacá, Colombia
2023
December
2023
November
2023
August-November
2023
May
2023
February-April
About Clay 2023, Contemporary Puerto Rican Ceramics Group Show at Souvenir 154, San Juan Puerto Rico.
Rewilding the Body Eclectic, Visual Arts Residency at Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, Alberta, Canada
Wild Clay Pots Internship Project in collaboration with Santiago Alvarez, presented at MOOS SPACE, Berlin, Germany
"La Alegradora" (Roaming Installation and Performance), Poncili Creación, Santurce es Ley Mural Festival
Led an Experimental Workshop on Vejigante Masks & Photo Performance, Museum of Art of Puerto Rico
2022
September
2022
August-November
“FUTUROS” Exhibition, Festival MixTO, Colectivo Artistas S.O.S., Toronto , Canada
Carnaval Carnal Solo Show, Souvenir 154, San Juan, Puerto Rico
KUNIKLO COLLECTIVE
2021
JUNE
Kuniklo Collective
Museum of Human Achievement, Austin Texas
"Kvar"
Virtual Performance through video project sponsored by the City of Austin Cultural Funding.
2020
JANUARY
El Cuadrado Gris/ The Gray Square
https://www.facebook.com/pg/elcuadradogris
Barrio Obrero, San Juan Puerto Rico
"Earthquake relief benefit show"
Fundraising performance for victims of the earthquakes in Puerto Rico
2019
SEPTEMBER
Austin Bat Cave's Reading Bus, Bat Mobile.
https://austinbatcave.org/bat-mobile/
Austin TX
Austin Bat Cave partnered with SOMA Small Spaces and Kuniklo Artist Collective to develop a mobile classroom for kids all ages.
2019
APRIL
Fusebox Festival
https://schedule.fuseboxfestival.com/festival/2019-fusebox-festival-hub
The Museum of Human Achivement
"Sez Ono"
An intersectional criminal identity performance disguised as a fashion show
2018
OCTOBER
Resident Artists
http://mexic-artemuseumevents.org/upcoming-events/2018/9/23/austin-museum-day-at-mexic-arte-museum
Mexic-Arte Museum
"Alebrije Dreams"
Month long residency at the museum, culminating in the lead float for the annual VIVA LA VIDA parade
2018
APRIL
Fusebox Festival
The Museum of Human Achievement
"Viduseksu"
Analogue virtual reality interactive experience.
2018
MARCH
Titeretada International Puppet Festival.
La Respuesta, San Juan Puerto Rico
"Mortinta Akvo"
Series of performances at the puppet festival.
2017
JUNE
MECA International Art Fair.
San Juan, Puerto Rico
"Psychedelic Teepee"
Installation and performance at the first International Art Fair MECA edition.
2017
APRIL
Centro de Bellas Artes, Sala Experimental.
https://www.casacruzdelaluna.com/eventos-upcoming
San Juan, Puerto Rico
"Hagiografías III"
Intermedia performance and Collaboration with Aravind Enrique Adyanthaya of Casa Cruz de la Luna
2017
MARCH
Titeretada International Puppet Festival.
Museo de San Juan, Viejo San Juan Puerto Rico
Performances for the Cabaret nights of the festival
2017
FEBRUARY
OUTsider Festival of Performance and Art
Featured Artists, performing "Piñones/Pilones"
2016
AUGUST
OCTOBER
Roberto Paradise, Santurce, Puerto Rico
"Bohíque/Visions I, II, II"
Installation of large bamboo and fabric interactive structure and two videos “Pilones” and “Piñones”
2016
APRIL
La Titeretada, International Puppet Festival of Puerto
https://www.facebook.com/Titeretada-143334132390229/
"The Bread Maker"
2016
APRIL
Bronson Music and Art Festival.
https://www.facebook.com/bronsonfest/
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
"Bohío"
Interactive installation at music and art festival in Puerto Rico
2016
MARCH
Museum of Human Achievement, South by South West 2016
http://themuseumofhumanachievement.com
Performance series, "Pop-up show with Amanda Palmer" and "Cage Show"
2016
FEBRUARY
Taller Secreto, Rio Piedras.
https://www.facebook.com/TallerSecretoPR/
Puerto Rico
"Chichaíto//Little Fucks"
Installation and video "Organ Grinder"
2015
SUMMER
Ballenarca Tour
https://www.facebook.com/ballenarcawhaleark/
Collaboration and tour with the Giant Puppet Whale
2015
SUMMER
XARDOX/Gongolo/Clones somos Tour
https://www.facebook.com/zardozpuppet/
https://www.facebook.com/clonesomos/
Collaborative touring show
2016
MARCH
Museum of Human Achievement, South by South West 2016
http://themuseumofhumanachievement.com
Performance series, "Pop-up show with Amanda Palmer" and "Cage Show"
BREAD AND PUPPET THEATER
2019
DECEMBER
Theater for the New City, New York City United States
"The Honey Let’s Go Home Opera & The Diagonal Life Circus"
Two week residency program performing both shows from Thursday to Sunday.
2019
NOVEMBER
Different cities across Northeastern part of United States
"Diagonal Life Theory and Praxis Fall Tour"
Series of workshops and performances with various communities.
2019
SEPTEMBER
Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes, Charleville-Mézières France
“The Honey Let’s Go Home Opera”
Series of performances along with Bread and Puppet Theater and Peter Schumann.
2019
OCTOBER
Michto Festival, Nancy France
"Cardboard Celebration Circus and La Grande Parade"
Month long residency, series of community workshops ending in Bread and Puppet parade and Circus show.
2019
JULY
AUGUST
Bread and Puppet Theater, Glover Vermont USA
“The Diagonal Life Circus and Pageant”
2019
JUNE
JULY
Various towns in Vermont USA
“The Extintion Rebellion Parade”
2019
APRIL
MAY
Different Cities around the Northeast of the United States
"The Diagonal Life Tour"
Series of performances and creative workshops throughout various states and communities.
2019
MARCH
Centro arte para la paz, Suchitoto, El Salvador
Two week residency program with community workshops, the building of a parade and teaching political show creation.
2018
The Grasshopper Rebellion Circus & Pageant
2017
Our Domestic Insurrection Circus & Pageant
The Basic Byebye Show
Water Protectors’ Parade
Prison Demolition and Composting Parade
2015
Overtakelessness Circus
Comet’s Passage Over Reality Pageant
The Seditious Conspiracy Theater Presents: A monument to political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera
2014
The Horizontalists
Public Access Center for the Obvious Presents: The Situation
Nothing Is Not Ready Circus
Gaza Emergency Pageant
Tar Sands Manifesto Pageant
Fire (revival)
PONCILI CREACION
2023
2014
La Alegradora, Santurce es Ley 2023
Melted Embraces US Tour