121 Hanes Art Center
rafa esparza (b. 1981, Los Angeles; lives and works in Los Angeles) received a BA from University of California, Los Angeles (2011). Solo exhibitions have been held at Artists Space, New York (2023); Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles (2021); MASS MoCA, North Adams (2019); ArtPace, San Antonio (2018); and Ballroom Marfa (2017). Selected group exhibitions have been held at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (2023); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2023); Commonwealth and Council, Mexico City (2022); Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson (2022); Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University, Houston (2020); San Diego Art Institute (2019); Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2017); and Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2016). esparza is a recipient of Pérez Prize (2022), Latinx Arts Fellowship, Mellon Foundation (2021), Lucas Artist Fellowship (2020), Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (2017), Art Matters Foundation Grant (2014), and California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists (2014). esparza has participated in residencies at Artpace San Antonio (2018) and Wanlass Artist in Residence, OXY ARTS, Los Angeles (2016).
esparza’s work is in the collections of Aïshti Foundation, Beirut; Dallas Museum of Art; Kadist Art Foundation; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; San Jose Museum of Art; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Vincent Price Art Museum, Monterey Park; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
Hanes Visiting Artist Lecture Series 2024-2025: The Rage of Wildness: Radical Futures. This lecture series will highlight artists creating dialogues and radical gestures that envision a future beyond colonial thinking. We will explore practices that operate in a mode of unknowing, decoloniality, resistance to dominant ontologies, disruption of imposed order, engagement with indigeneity, queerness, and ecological perspectives.
An endowment established in 1983 through the generosity of Nancy and Robin Hanes supports the Art Department’s Visiting Artist Series. This important program brings both established and emerging artists to campus to discuss their work in public lectures and to offer individual critiques to our M.F.A. students. The Hanes Visiting Artist series greatly enriches both our academic programs and our outreach to the wider community. All lectures are free and open to the public.
A weeknight or daytime permit is now required after 5:00 pm on weekdays. No permit is required from 5:00 pm Friday through 7:30 am Monday. A $1.00 one-night pass is available in selected lots. More information can be found at UNC Weeknight Parking.
Artist website: https://www.instagram.com/elrafaesparza/?hl=en
Contact: Martín Wannam, mwanna@unc.edu
Image: rafa esparza, Corpo RanfLA: Terra Cruiser 4everz, performance, SFMoMa, October 5, 2023