The roots of my work are embedded within the diverse combinations of my cultural backgrounds. I am inspired by my heritage as well as contemporary polemical and urban art. I draw upon these influences in dealing with and manipulating ironic paradigms within the context of sociopolitical and personal issues. These components and personal constructs are a natural combination of perspective and aesthetic approach, rather than an assimilation of images and ideas. My work is the product of an inevitable amalgamation and fusion of my internal dialogue and the external relationships with others in an urban environment.

Raffael a Iglesias was born in town of Santa Tecla in the Republic of El Salvador. His early life is marred in mythology and local folklore. He was said to have been found by a young couple at the foot of the volcano Quetzaltepec.. His young body covered in Lava with a birthmark of actor Anthony Quinn on the tipoff his penis, they knew this child was special. They adopted and raised him along side the howler monkeys they kept at home. Legend has it, he is truly the spawn of a forbidden romance between Cipitio-(Cipitio is a legendary character found in salvadoran folklore. He is generally portrayed as a 10 year old boy with a big hat and a large belly. His name is taken from the Nahuatl word for child: "Cipit" or "Cipote". Some also relate his name to the deity Xipe Totec. & the Volcano Quetzaltepec itself, herself.  Born a demigod, he knew his life was in danger as long as he stayed at home. He was sent to the mountains where he spent years playing chess, practicing martial arts and watching Japanese Anime. Not much is known of the next ten years, only that he was found naked at the bottom of the CN tower in Toronto, Canada and studied at the Ontario College of Art not long after.

Raffael A. Iglesiaswas born in Santa Tecla , El Salvador, he lives and works in Toronto, Canada. His mixed media paintings have been exhibited in solo and group shows, His art has received critical acclaim in multiple publications. Iglesias has been awarded several grants from the Toronto, Ontario and Canada Arts Councils, most notably, the Emerging Artist Grant (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2010) and was a finalist for the KM Hunter Artist Award.

raffaeliglesias.com