Curtis Talwst Santiago

Curtis Talwst Santiago
 

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1979
Lives and works in Munich

 

Curtis Talwst Santiago

Curtis Talwst Santiago is a multimedia artist of Dominican origin whose work is centered on the diasporic experience, transculturalism, and memory. Key to Santiago’s oeuvre is the idea of entanglements shaping the consciousness of the postcolonial condition. A singer, performer and musician, he reconnects with music as part of an identity that is transmitted from one generation to the next. Santiago is best known for his miniature dioramas, which recreate personal stories, shed light on underrepresented histories, or serve as creative retellings of violent-catastrophic events that are inherent to the struggle of the black diaspora. Yet, an equivalence can be found between Santiago’s dioramas and his canvases in that both portray interpersonal relationships. 

Curtis Talwst Santiago studied as a pupil of the artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. Solo institutional exhibitions include Art Gallery of Alberta in 2022, Can’t I Alter in 2020 at The Drawing Center, New York, NY. His work has been included in group shows held the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven), The New York Museum (NY), the Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), the Pérez Art Museum (Miami) and the SCAD Museum of Art (Savannah). He participated in the Biennale de Dakar and SITE Santa Fe in 2018 and the Toronto Biennial in 2019.

He has completed several residencies including Fountainhead, Miami, Florida, Black Rock Senegal, Pioneer Works Brooklyn, and at the University of Tennessee. In 2022 he participated in «Imagine the City», a project by Kunst und Culture Hafencity in Hamburg.His works can be found in the permanent collection of The Studio Museum in Harlem.

Santiago has a show coming up at the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA), Costa Mesa, CA in 2026. He currently lives in Munich, Germany.

Selected Works