Jury 2023
Alexis Mendoza
NYLAAT Executive Director / 2023 Jury
Bio
Alexis Mendoza (b. 1972, Cuba) is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and independent curator based in New York City. His work spans painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and installation, often exploring the transition and layering of colors as metaphors for Afro-Cuban customs, rituals, and traditions.
He has exhibited in museums and galleries across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, England, France, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. His work has been featured in Cuban Art News, Sing for Hope, Artnet, JCAST, HFFNY, and Manhattan Times.
Mendoza is co-founder and co-creator of The Bronx Latin American Art Biennial, which in 2019 expanded into the New York Latin American Art Triennial, addressing themes such as migration, women’s rights, and social justice while celebrating Hispanic heritage.
Ezequiel Taveras
NYLAAT Chief Curator / 2023 Jury
Bio
Ezequiel Taveras (b. 1965, Dominican Republic) is a sculptor, curator, and educator based in Santo Domingo. He studied at the National School of Fine Arts, where he was mentored by Master Omar Rayo, and later taught at Altos de Chavón School of Design (Parsons affiliate), UNIBE, and Universidad Pedro Henríquez Ureña.
He has held 12 solo exhibitions, including The Language of the Heart (IDB Art Gallery, Washington, D.C.) and Pi (Centro Cultural Español, Santo Domingo). His work has earned multiple awards, including Best Work of Art by a Foreign Artist (San Juan Association of Art Critics, Puerto Rico, 2006) and Second Place in the 2nd Latin American Printmaking Biennial (Buenos Aires, 2002).
Taveras represented the Dominican Republic at the 2019 Venice Biennale and has participated in over 100 exhibitions in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Peru, Japan, Bulgaria, Spain, Cuba, Slovenia, Norway, Brazil, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the United States.
Naivy Pérez
Experimental Loop Executive Director & NYLAAT Deputy Director / 2023 Jury
Bio
Naivy Pérez (b. 1986, Cuba) is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and curator based in New York City. Her work examines control structures and individual consciousness, integrating art, technology, and experiential processes.
She holds a Gold Diploma in Visual Arts from the Higher Institute of Art (ISA) in Havana and studied at the Provincial Academy of Visual Arts “Raúl Corrales” and “Raúl Martínez.” She was awarded a prestigious technology and robotics scholarship at Kungliga Konsthögskolan in Stockholm, Sweden, which deeply influenced her experimental approach.
Pérez is the Founder and Executive Director of the Experimental Loop International Video Art Festival and Deputy Director of the New York Latin American Art Triennial (NYLAAT). She has curated major exhibitions and contributed to the Tenth Havana Biennial, reinforcing her expertise in global, interdisciplinary curatorial projects.