Reinaldo Sanguino is a New York-based Venezuelan artist and ceramicist, whose painted works combine his country’s traditional techniques and colors with the energy of the multi-ethnic cultural capital that he now calls home.
Born in Caracas in 1973, Sanguino graduated from the School of Visual Arts Cristobal Rojas in 1993 with a specialization in ceramics. He subsequently moved to New York, where he creates ceramic objects and chairs, approaching clay as a structural material and canvas. Drawing on historical and current socio-political issues, Sanguino has always been driven by an interest in Meissen porcelain and its role in European history and aims to create a dialogue that resonates with collectors through his graffiti-style motifs that decorate each unique piece.
Significant works include BS Tarzan, Red Bowl, and Ma-S, Twice, which is a piece that merges visual imagery with mixed media to demonstrate Sanguino’s creative and expressive style. From crochet elements and antique lace to images of Curious George, Ma-S, Twice has a mixed material basis that arises from a variety of storytelling tactics and methods to amount to a singular, textural piece. The artist’s Gods and Designer series includes pieces that also convey his message about the impact of social class on art and culture. Reflecting the artist’s thoughts on class in modern life, imagery from global luxury brands such as Tiffany & Co. and Hermès is included to show how the ideas and symbolism of wealth have changed over time.
In 2018, Sanguino was invited to be part of the EDIT Napoli residence program, which brought him to the Amalfi Coast. Here he was greatly inspired by the nature and landscape of his surroundings. Working with local craftsmen, he explored traditional native and modern techniques and spent days walking around the quaint urban alleys and in the hills overlooking the sea. Immersed in a sensory world, the artist translated these elements into tiny graphic signs in the colors of his own land in his pieces for Minori, the town that celebrates the art of clay, from dome tiles to crockery. There is a playful purity throughout Sanguino’s work, where painting, cultural commentary, and ceramics collide in eclectic charm. Highly collectible, each unique work by Sanguino presents an opportunity to contemplate contemporary life.
Sanguino’s work has been on display at the Sultan Gallery as part of the Dean Project New York, the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, the MINT Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
