GRETHELL RASUA

Download Artist Statement
 I'm an interdisciplinary Cuban artist, educator, and curator based in Brooklyn, New York. My practice emerges at the intersection of art, science, and sustainability through the lens of bio art and collaboration. Rooted in processual art and social practice, I work with a meticulous attention to material transformation, developing unique objects, prints, jewelry, installations, photographs, videos, performances, and drawings. My process involves researching and chemically treating organic matter and bodily waste, transforming them into usable materials such as pigments, inks, varnishes, and handmade paper. My work process is immaculate. I employ gloves, masks, ventilation, and laboratory-approved procedures to prevent contamination. My practice has been reviewed and approved by Christopher Aston, Director of the Biological Safety Program at Columbia University, New York. The resulting pieces are durable and functional, often combining these organic materials with elements such as resin, gold, and silver to produce works that challenge expectations while maintaining structural reliability.

My practice is defined by three fundamental actions: transforming, beautifying, and serving. By engaging with materials considered taboo—excrement, semen, blood, and tears—I reframe cultural ideas of waste, repulsion, and beauty. Through a process of recycling and material reimagining, I create works that are both utilitarian and symbolic, inviting viewers to confront their own definitions of what is beautiful and what is ugly. Each material carries a physical presence and a profound symbolic charge, embodying the uniqueness of the human body and the cultural imagination it produces. My work illuminates how what is dismissed or rejected can be elevated into objects of resonance and value, offering new perspectives on our relationships with ourselves and with each other. My projects seek to expand the boundaries of perception, proposing that what is often considered unacceptable or unappealing can, in fact, become a profound means of connection, self-discovery, and collective reflection. Through this process, I invite viewers to broaden their understanding of beauty and reality. In every creation, I embrace the act of beautification, honoring beauty in its most essential and transformative form.
© Grethell Rasua 2025