Artist Name: Mari Claudia García
Residency Dates: June – July 2026
Born: 1989
Hometown: Havana, Cuba
Lives & Works: Newark, NJ
URL: mariclaudia.com | Instagram: @mclaudiagr75
Education:
2023 – MFA in Sculpture, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), RI, USA
2018 – Master of Arts, Formative Processes in Art Education, University of the Arts (ISA), Havana, Cuba
2013 – Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Arts, University of the Arts (ISA), Havana, Cuba
2008 – Diploma, Fine Arts, San Alejandro Fine Arts Academy, Havana, Cuba
Bio/Statement:
Mari Claudia García is a U.S.–based multidisciplinary artist and educator interested in the intersection of arts and politics. Her art practice is anchored in a socio-political exploration of communication and language as impacted by power dynamics and politics. García is intrigued by tensions around political correctness and ‘cancel culture.’ Currently, her research delves into censorship and protest, examining their dynamics in both totalitarian regimes and democracies. She engages with various mediums, including sculpture, installation, video, video-installation, photography, and sound, using methods ranging from digital fabrication to weaving and casting. Modifying objects, thus amplifying their ethical and aesthetic resonance is central to Mari Claudia García’s practice. She is particularly drawn to a process-based approach to work, where fluidity and participant involvement are integral.
García’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Cuba, the United States, Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, and Denmark. Her solo exhibitions include “Vanidades”, Servando Gallery, Havana, Cuba (2018); “Compilación temporal”, Ludwig Foundation, Havana, Cuba (2015); “Zoom”, Visual Arts Development Center (CDAV), Havana, Cuba (2013). Among García’s recent group exhibitions are “De la Isla a la Luna 2.0”, Presidio Modelo (Model Prison), Isla de la Juventud, Cuba (2025); “The Way You Want It”, EFA Project Space, New York, United States (2024); “Free Expression and the Inexpressible”, A.I.R. Gallery, New York, United States (2024); “There Are No Strangers”, Hera Gallery, Rhode Island, United States (2023); “RISD Grad Show”, Rhode Island Convention Center, Rhode Island, United States (2023). She was a SHIFT resident at EFA in New York (2024) and has participated in residencies such as Sculpture Space Residency in New York (2026), the Amalgama-Barcú online program (2022) and La Isla Residencia in Mexico (2017). Her work is included in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Cisneros-Fontanals Foundation in Miami. She has received numerous recognitions, most recently including the Society of Presidential Fellows from RISD (2021).
Support: Mari Claudia García’s residency is made possible with support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Cuban Artists Fund.
