Calida Garcia Rawles's paintings captivate you. Faced with the deep, luminous blue of the waters she paints, the hyperrealism of the waves, reflections, and bodies, you feel ready to be swept away. The American artist, who lives and works in Los Angeles, creates large portraits of African American women and men immersed in water. Behind the alluring images, the turquoise ripples, and the shimmering of a possible sun, lies a reflection on the ambivalence of water: it is both healing and nourishing, but also implicated in the history of racial inequality and still engulfs those who cross it. By structuring her practice around this duality, she makes water the vehicle for a reflection on political identities, the bearer of memory, and the witness to recurring events. 

His work is currently featured in "Still Present!", the Berlin Biennale 2022 curated by Kader Attia. 

https://www.instagram.com/calidagarciarawles

Flora Fettah