BIOGRAPHY
Natalia Sánchez was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico in 1992. She received her BFA at Columbus College of Art and Design in 2015 and based herself in Columbus, OH for seven years. During this time , she had her studio at Blockfort Columbus, participated in organizing artistic and cultural events, exhibited in group shows, and grew a network of colleges, patrons and collectors. After Hurricane Maria, she returns to Puerto Rico re-rooting herself in the town of Arecibo where she continues to develop her painting, multimedia and community engagement practices. These expressions are influenced by architecture and urban planning in her immediate landscape and by the psychological implications of the built environment and the human psyche.
Sánchez received the NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant in 2019 and with it developed an audiovisual documentary titled “País Espejo” about Arecibo’s history focused in its urban planning or lack thereof. It integrates the narratives of elders in the community, as well as historians and other community leaders. She had a solo show in Arecibo’s Casa Ulanga where together with a body of paintings showcased “Pais Espejo” back to her community. In 2021 she exhibited in the group show “ A Diasporic State of Mind" at Praxis Gallery in Chelsea, New York. In 2022 she had a solo show “Ningún Lugar '' at Kilómetro 0.2 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Shortly after exhibiting in the Kilómetro 0.2 group show “Once Upon a Time” In 2023. She was awarded the MASS MoCA Fellowship for Artists from Puerto Rico, where she was a resident artist in August – September 2023. She participated in several groupshows including “Servicio a Domicilio” at Adhesivo Contemporary in Mexico City and “Structural Concerns” at Marshall Gallery in LA, California.