LUIS GABRIEL SANABRIA
ABOUT
ARTIST STATEMENT
As an artist from a territory grappling with ongoing colonization, my work delves into identity through the lens of carnival characters. I aim to narrate both individual and collective histories by drawing from ancient performative traditions. These encounters, rooted in ritual, reveal the potential of performance to connect spiritual practices with the contemporary political landscape. I seek to reclaim the unique social disruption that carnival and its characters provide, using them as platforms for expressing our definitions of sovereignty across all dimensions. My practice invites a reevaluation of Puerto Rican traditions, exploring them through the lenses of intimacy, queerness, and our ecological contexts. I strive to create new iconographies that reflect the intersectionalities and complexities of Caribbean cultures, particularly within the framework of collective celebrations. Through the art of disguise, I aim to portray the rich tapestry of identities that define Puerto Rican life today. By engaging with these themes, my work not only honors our cultural heritage but also advocates for a broader understanding of who we are in this ever-evolving narrative.
BIO
Luis Gabriel Sanabria is a dynamic multidisciplinary artist from Puerto Rico. He earned a BA in Acting and Performing Arts and an MA in Cultural Agency and Administration from the University of Puerto Rico. Growing up between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic sparked his early exploration of identity and culture. Since 2014, he has been a vital member of the renowned Bread and Puppet Theater in Vermont, where he works as an artist, performer, instructor, and operations manager. His work with the theater has taken him across the United States, Canada, Central America, and Europe, including a notable participation in the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes in Charleville-Mézières, France, in 2019.
Luis co-founded the Kuniklo Collective, a multimedia art group that presented the solo exhibition Bohíque at the Roberto Paradise art gallery in San Juan in 2016. His most recent solo exhibition, Carnaval Carnal, was held in 2022 at Souvenir 154 in San Juan. In fall 2023, he launched an internship program called Wild Clay Pots, focusing on traditional pottery through a series of workshops that culminated in a performance at Moos Space in Berlin. In winter 2023, he participated in the Rewilding the Body Eclectic residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada.
Since March 2024, he has taken part annually in the Casa Muyska residency program in the Amazon, where he studies indigenous crafts, ceramics, and ceremonial costume making. In March 2025, he joined the Ponce Carnival in Puerto Rico with his first solo parade. Luis was featured in El Puente, a group exhibition at the John & Robyn Horn Gallery at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina, USA, on view from April to June 2025. Looking ahead, he will participate as an artist-in-residence at the Sicily Art Residency Program in Italy from May to June 2025.
PRESS
BURNAWAY MAGAZINE
Jay Fonseca Website
https://jayfonseca.com/luis-gabriel-sanabria-una-reinterpretacion-del-carnaval/
Evento Horizonte Magazine Vol. 2
PODCASTS
Cuirtopia Live Podcast Ep. 70
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3PARQtnQ93PUkuHcL7J1ba
FENCast Podcast
CV
SOLO WORK
2024
July
2024
May
2024
March-April
2024
March
2024
January
Sicily Art Program, Collaboration with Santiago Alvarez on Etna Volcano Table Installation piece for Carolina Mazzolari’s Exhibition: “Don’t Look Back Orfeo”, Sicily, Italy.
Master's Degree on Cultural Agency & 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
Exhibition and Residency with Santiago Alvarez, Sicily Artist in Residency Program, Linguaglossa, Sicily, Italy.
Group exhibition, curated by Kathryn Gremley, "El Puente” (Cristina Córdova, Jaime Suárez, Ada del Pilar & Luis Gabriel Sanabria), Penland School of Craft, North Carolina, USA.
Vejigante Gigante Project, Carnaval de Ponce, Puerto Rico. Sponsored by Máquina Simple, Beta-Local.
2025
May - June
2025
April - June
2025
February - March
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
