Rafael Uriegas (b. 1982, Málaga, Spain) is a Spanish Mexican painter who explores form, color, mythology, and memory to craft layered, open-ended narratives that seamlessly merge figuration and abstraction. His work draws on a diverse range of art historical influences, weaving together symbolic imagery reminiscent of Francesco Clemente, Fra Angelico’s transcendent use of color, and Wassily Kandinsky’s spiritually infused abstraction. Additionally, the work reflects Rufino Tamayo’s ability to mediate between Mexican identity and universal themes, while also channeling Paul Klee’s playful yet profound explorations of line and form.

Uriegas’s practice encompasses both monumental murals and more intimate works on canvas. His murals, deeply informed by the primal imagery of cave paintings, transform architectural surfaces into vibrant storytelling devices, embodying what he describes as the “socializing of painting.” These works engage their communities through their expansive, dynamic energies, unfolding across time and space. While his early murals adhered strictly to fresco techniques, his evolving approach incorporates a variety of materials, including vinyl and acrylic, chosen in response to the specific demands of each site. This adaptability underscores the dialogic nature of his murals, as they integrate seamlessly with their environments and invite communal participation.

Uriegas’s smaller-scale works on canvas offer a more introspective counterpoint. These pieces serve as laboratories for experimentation, where subtleties of color, texture, and form are meticulously explored. The canvases embody an intimate dialogue with painting itself, allowing the artist to reflect on the medium’s possibilities while maintaining a connection to its historical lineage.

In an era often characterized by visual saturation and the relentless immediacy of digital culture, Uriegas’s work stands as a meditation on the enduring power of painting as a medium of deep, sustained communication. His art resists didacticism, instead inviting viewers into an open-ended process of interpretation. In doing so, he reaffirms painting’s dual capacity as both a mirror of the world and a transformative lens through which to reimagine it.

Uriegas earned his BFA in 2008 from the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado “La Esmeralda” in Mexico City and completed his MFA in 2013 at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos in Cuernavaca, Mexico.