Felipe Baeza

            Felipe Baeza was born in Mexico and moved to the United States at a young age. While he lived in Chicago for a period, he has considered New York City his home for many years. In 2009, he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Art from The Cooper Union, one of New York's most prestigious educational institutions. Years later, he pursued a Master's degree at Yale University in 2018.

Baeza employs a variety of techniques in his artwork, including collage, printmaking, and egg tempera painting, which provides durability to his pieces. These techniques serve a diverse range of themes, including queer identity, immigration, and displacement.

            His imagery combines his Mexican heritage, drawing inspiration from pre-Columbian and Aztec art, with his own experiences navigating both countries and other parts of the world. His personal journey as an immigrant was challenging, and he found resonance in the figure of the fugitive. Baeza believes that being a fugitive entails a mode of suspension, as it allows for the creation of a unique way of life outside the bounds of conventional law. He argues that imagination is a powerful tool in creating a fulfilling life, blending the strength of queer imagination with the resilience of the migrant experience.

            Baeza's artistic practice aims to envision structures and possibilities for the self-emancipation of the fugitive body, which exists within and is constantly subjected to hostile conditions. His work "My vision is small fixed to what can be heard between the ears the spot between the eyes a well-spring opening to el mundo grande" (2018) was featured in the exhibition "Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall" at the Brooklyn Museum in 2019. This exhibition sought to commemorate the Stonewall uprising, considered the beginning of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. The participating artists were all born after the Stonewall events and were required to offer a critical perspective on how those historical moments are turned into monuments. Contrary to expectations, the exhibition served as a space for celebrating the right to joy and the persistent affirmation of queer lives, which assert their resilience and resistance as a defining characteristic.