Born in 1982 in Málaga, Spain, Rafael Uriegas is a Mexican-based painter and muralist known for his unique approach to color, form, and mythology. Drawing inspiration from Mexican muralism, European abstraction, religious iconography, and pre-Hispanic traditions, Uriegas creates introspective, dreamlike compositions that navigate the intersection of figuration and abstraction.

His artistic process is deeply intuitive and meditative, embracing automatic drawing and fresco painting to achieve compositions that feel both timeless and spontaneous. Color is central to his work, used as an expressive force that transcends mere aesthetics to evoke spiritual and emotional depth. His paintings and murals are often described as portals into a mystical, sensory world—where ancient histories, mythological archetypes, and contemporary concerns converge.

Uriegas studied at La Esmeralda National School of Painting, Sculpture, and Printmaking in Mexico City, completing his BFA in 2008, followed by an MFA at Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos in 2013. He gained early recognition with his selection in the Tamayo Biennale (2014) and has since exhibited extensively in Mexico, the U.S., and Europe.

His work is part of private and institutional collections, including the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) in California, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACO) in Oaxaca, and the Sonora Museum of Art. He has also completed fresco murals for the Museum of the Historic and Ethnographic Center of Caborca and Pug Seal Oaxaca.

Uriegas continues to expand his visual language through painting and site-specific murals, blending history, mysticism, and abstraction to create works that invite viewers into a deeper, more contemplative engagement with art.

He currently lives and works in Cholula, Mexico.

Resume

Solo Exhibitions

• 2025 – Passing Through, Hoffmann + Maler + Wallenberg, Mexico City
• 2020 – Rafael Uriegas, Galería de Arte Mexicano (GAM), Mexico City
• 2019 – Akira Toxqui, Archivo Colectivo, Mexico
• 2017 – Absences, MUSAS Museum of the Arts of Sonora, Mexico
• 2017 – Cave, Sun, Seed, Gallery Karen Huber, Mexico City
• 2015 – Gizon Zintzoa, MUPO Oaxaca
• 2015 – Lagoon, Gallery Karen Huber, Mexico City
• 2014 – Pintura Silva, Galería Toca, Mexico

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2021 – Don’t Get Too Close to My Foantasy, Galería Karen Huber, Mexico
• 2021 – Spiritu Andante, Archivo Colectivo, Mexico
• 2020 – Sur, Museo Internacional Barroco, Puebla, Mexico
• 2018 – Pintura Reactiva, Carillo Gil Museum, Mexico City
• 2018 – Trayecto de una parte a otra, Diagrama Mexico City
• 2018 – Detener el Infinito, Capilla del Arte, UDLAP, Puebla
• 2018 – Show Room, Galería Karen Huber, Mexico
• 2017 – Painters, Machete Gallery, Mexico
• 2017 – Obras de la Colección, MACO, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Oaxaca, Mexico
• 2017 – Masters, Mexico City
• 2016 – Straight from Mexico City, Gallery Patricia Ruiz Healy, San Antonio, Texas
• 2016 – Bienal de Nicaragua, Managua & León, Nicaragua
• 2016 – Gallery Mercado Negro, Puebla, Mexico
• 2015 – Después del Edén, SAPS Siqueiros, La Tallera, Cuernavaca, Mexico
• 2015 – Bienal de Yucatán, Macay, Mérida, Yucatán
• 2015 – Profil Perdu, MC Gallery, New York
• 2014 – En el Umbral, Museo de la Ciudad de Cuernavaca, Mexico
• 2014 – Bienal del Paisaje, MUSAS, Sonora, Mexico
• 2013 – El Hombre ha Muerto, Universidad de Grime, Netherlands
• 2013 – Presentimientos, Centro Cultural Vlady, Mexico
• 2012 – ¿Buscar lo real?, Museo Nacional de San Carlos, Mexico

Awards & Support

• 2014 – Premio de Adquisición, XVI Bienal de Pintura Rufino Tamayo
• 2013-2014 – Programa Jóvenes Creadores, FONCA, Mexico
• 2011-2013 – Beca de Estudios CONACYT, MFA Grant, Mexico
• 2012-2013 – Beneficio Proyectos de Inversión en la Producción, Secretaría de Cultura, Mexico
• 2002 – Honorable Mention, Concurso Nacional de Arte Joven

Public Collections

• Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA), Long Beach, California, USA
• MACO – Museum of Contemporary Art Oaxaca, Mexico
• MUSAS – Museum of Art Sonora, Mexico
• Sonora Museum of Art, Mexico
• Fundación Ortiz Gurdian, León, Nicaragua