RAQUEL BOLAÑOS
ABOUT
Raquel Bolaños (Rakeu) is a Costa Rican artist and environmental activist. Her art is personal and also aiming to support environmental and human regeneration. Raquel holds a Master in Environmental Studies in York University, where she focused in water defense and the use of arts as a counter hegemonic tool (Arts of resistance).
She is exploring new ways of expression such as documentary film making, participatory murals and digital arts. Recently creating NFTS as a way to abundantly support her creative endeavours.
Solo Exhibits
2003. Courts of Justice, Pérez Zeledón
2004. MEP (Ministry of Education) Pérez Zeledón
ULATINA (Latin University), Pérez Zeledón
2009. El Gato sin Dueño cafe (The lonely cat café), Pérez Zeledón
Citrus restaurant, Ojochal, Puntarenas
2010. 1887 Gallery, San José
Galería Verde de Aranjuez (Green Gallery of Aranjuez), San José
San Gerardo de Rivas Community Center
First Avenue Café. San José
Cultural Center, Municipality of Pérez Zeledón
Paso de la Danta Sustainability School. Socorro de Platanares
EARTH University, Guápiles
PANI, San José
2016 Feria del Productor Generaleño (Pérez Zeledón farmers market)
2018 Encuentro Ecofeminista (Eco Feminist national meeting) UNED. Montes de OCA
Corn and Vandana Shiva large-format painting
2018 Escuela de la Tierra (Earth School). Longo Mai. Vida large-format painting
2019 Crossroads Gallery, Toronto, Canadá
Collective exhibits
2003 Banco de Costa Rica (Costa Rica Banc) Pérez Zeledón
Cultural Center, Municipality of Pérez Zeledón
UMCA (Castro Carazo University) Pérez Zeledón
UNA (National University) Heredia
2009 Festival Nacional de las Artes (National arts festival) Pérez Zeledón
Auction for Komen organization, Austin, Texas.
2010 Somos Sur Festival (We are the south Festival) Coto Brus
Inauguration of the national designers association. San José
2011 Festival Nacional de las Artes (National arts festival) Guapiles
Galería Verde de Aranjuez (Green gallery of Aranjuez) San José
TEC (Technologic Institute of Costa Rica) Cartago
Envision Festival, Dominical, Puntarenas
Auction for Global Kids San José
Collective Errante, Poisoned Bottles cardboard sculptures, Pérez Zeledón
2014 Escazu Women's Association Forum. Escazú
2017 Envision Festival. Uvita
Expo PZ Festival. Pérez Zeledón
Farmers Market in Pérez Zeledón
2018 Tinamastes Farmers Market
Pérez Zeledón Farmers Market
Hotel de Sur (South Hotel) Pérez Zeledón
2019 Storm Petals Collective, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery. Ontario
Art Activism
2013
Corn Mandala. Installation made with corn plants with fluorescent spray as a critic for
The GMO and the high use of pesticides in the agro-industry. To celebrate that
Pérez Zeledón was declared as a GMO-free territory.
Stickers and Illustrations to protect the native corns.
2014
Corn Mandala, spray intervention on a cornfield.
Illustrations and sticker campaign to support local farming, this was released during the been producers protests in San Isidro. The farmers did not found a market to sell their
production since the country was importing 70% of the beans consumed.
Illustrations and sticker campaign to protect the rivers against hydroelectric expansion.
2015
Justice for Jairo. Art installation at the courts of justice, to protest for the absence of justice after the murder of Jairo Mora, an activist that was working in turtle conservation.
Live painting in solidarity with Finca Changuena farmers protests.
Agricultura, big format canvas. One truck covered with the 3 large canvas was in the
Middle of the farmer's protests at the Presidential house, this mobilization happened after
the impacts of the implementation of trade agreements.
Las Piedras Hablan. River rock intervention with Movimiento Ríos Vivos de Costa Rica.
2016
Live Painting of Agricultura big farm
2017
La Venenosa. The poison one, Big format paintings critiquing pineapple expansion, this action was made collectively with students of the course Environmental Arts and Food
Sovereignty, of York University. The canvas was taken in a protest organized by
Bloque Verde in San José.
Live painting at Hotel del Sur.
2018
Agricultura, live painting of the Farmer's big format canvas. at the Feria del Agricultor,
Pérez Zeledón.
Gallo pinto. It is a collective big format painting made together with students of the course Environmental Arts and Food Sovereignty of York University and Farmers from la Feria del Agricultor in Pérez Zeledón and Tinamastes. This painting shows the
Statistics of beans and rice imports in Costa Rica according to the MEIC.
Vida. Life is the transformation of one of the paintings of la Venenosa that was a symbol
of death and the poison after pineapple. "Life" transformed this landscape into one full
of hope and life. The big format painting is taken into environmental meetings, and a time-lapse video of the transformation was shared in social media.
Costa Rican tourist postcards to critique the implementation of regressive environmental
Laws at the congress, (mining, oil extraction referendum, pineapple expansion)
Gallo pinto Globalizado. A short film about the search for the origin of the beans of the Gallo pinto, a traditional meal. Interviewing people and experts.
2019
Pintemos a Berta. Collective mural painting, sharing the files through the internet allowing People to replicate the action. The first two were painted at the Lounge of the Faculty
of Environmental Studies at York University of Canadá, and at the University of Costa Rica.
Mapeo Socioambiental, Longo Mai. This socio-environmental mapping can show the
Space took by pineapple industry comparing the rural landscape and their different
uses of the land to the agro-industrial desert. This mapping was collectively created with
Students of the course Environmental Arts and Food Sovereignty of York University,
And with participants of the Farmers Market in Pérez Zeledón and the ExpoCobas in
Quizarrá. The canvas is back to Longo Mai where community members will continue
with the mapping.
La Madre Niña. Collective mural painting. The files are available for print on the
Internet. In Costa Rica, yearly hundreds of children with only 11-14 years become
Mothers every year. A conservatory society is good at hiding sexual child abuse.
Documentary Film making
2020
Desafiando la Hegemonia.
This documentary gathers stories of water defenders of Costa Rica that unified and blocked the construction of 17 hydroelectric dams.
This film was a part of Raquel's research project for a Master in Environmental Studies in York University Toronto, where she researched about water privatization and defense, going deep into the understanding of hegemonic control and power dynamics around the privatization of natural resources.
2021
Terra ba
-Under construction- . Jerhy Rivera was murdered to recover his ancestral lands. A year after his death hi family prepared 5 days commemoration to turn their pain, into light and justice for the Broran people.