Photo by Yael Martinez
Blending a transdisciplinary practice grounded in painting and photography with visual references to my heritage, my work explores themes of home and indigeneity.
Inspired by cultural practices, comparative mythology, and the liminal nature of identity, I use layered imagery, stained glass, and banner-making to craft alternative narratives that reflect diasporic and gender-variant experiences. This process is integral to my investigations around internal boundlessness and the evolving sense of self.
As a brown artist born in the South, my practice challenges and celebrates the role of multicultural aesthetics in America, reflecting an ongoing investigation of self and cultural belonging.
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Sol Diaz-Peña is a contemporary artist and community organizer based in their native city of Houston, Texas.
They have exhibited their work at venues such as Lawndale Arts Center, Blaffer Art Museum, Project Row Houses, Houston City Hall, Box 13, FLATS, Arts and Culture Lab, Wedgespace, and Sawyer Yards. They have been awarded residencies at Lawndale Art & Performance Center (Houston, TX), Artists’ Literacy Institute (New York, NY), and Project Row Houses (Houston, TX). In 2021 they were a recipient of the Idea Fund award for their project "The Place I Know" and most recently, they were awarded a place in On Communities Masterclass with Magnum Photos and Houston Center of Photography.
Since 2022, Diaz-Peña has been a co-organizer of OpenMFA, an artist collective that provides community, dialogue, and cross-disciplinary collaboration for artists based in the Houston area. OpenMFA was awarded a residency at Asia Society Texas Center and currently exhibiting with Blaffer Art Museum in the 2024 Texas Biennial. In 2025, they received the Idea Fund award for their forthcoming project "Absurd Classroom"
In 2024, Sol's work was accepted to be published in New American Paintings no. 174, West Issue. Diaz-Peña received a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with a concentration in Critical Race Studies from University of Houston - Downtown.
In 2024, Sol's work was accepted to be published in New American Paintings no. 174, West Issue. Diaz-Peña received a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with a concentration in Critical Race Studies from University of Houston - Downtown.
Thank you!