TAMARA TORRES

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2023 Light in Darkness, a collection of abstract paintings that evoke feelings of desolation, hope,

comfort, epiphany and spirituality. - Akwaaba Gallery, Newark, NJ

2022 Profundo, a multi-media body of art on the formative male relationships of women leading the feminist

upsurge within Puerto Rican communities. -Helen and Karl Burger Gallery at Kean University, Union, NJ

2019 Los Suenos De Mi Mama, A Seed on Diamond Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

La Feminista. Soy Yo? Uri-Eichen Gallery, Chicago, IL

2015 Bombon, Galeria Casa Cultura, Trenton, NJ

2014 Trenton’s Daughter, 219 Gallery, Trenton, NJ

2013 Self-Discovery Photography Series, Square Peg Round Hole Gallery, Bordentown, NJ

Prisonera, Emoa Space Gallery, New York, NY

Public Art Projects and Collaborations

February 2019 – Artist for Windows of Understanding, We See Through Hate, Rutgers University and NJ Step Program, New Brunswick, NJ

Artists transformed retail business windows on the streets of New Brunswick, producing artwork that displayed a wide array of social injustices and created community kinship. Before creating their art, artists first heard the stories and worked closely with formerly incarcerated participants in the NJ Step Program, an association of higher education institutions in New Jersey that works in partnership with the State of New Jersey Department of Corrections and New Jersey State Parole Board.

October 2018 – Exhibition in the entrance lobby of the federal United States District Court building in Trenton, NJ, as part of an artistic appreciation for Hispanic Heritage Month. The exhibition celebrated the career of the Honorable Pedro J. Jimenez, J.S.C., curated by Middlesex County Vicinage Wilfredo Torres, Chief of Probation.

September 2017 – July 2019 – Participating artist in a collaborative project between Princeton Theological Seminary and Artworks Trenton Inc. to imagine two public art installations, one in Princeton, one in Trenton, on the theme of “racial reconciliation.” Created a design proposal and presented it before PTS faculty for two sculptural figures – one in Princeton, one in Trenton – that represent a diversity of humanity and a connecting bridge between both cities. Project culminated in an exhibition of participating artist proposals at PTS’s Erdman Center.

Selected Group Exhibitions

2021 Lock Art, an exhibit highlighting the work of 15 photographers from all over the world showing the pandemic period through their eyes, Museo Casa Don Bosco, Turin, Italy

2020 Women Artists Trenton Style, curated by Mel Leipzig, Trenton City Museum, Trenton, NJ

2019 Elevate 02, Art Can group show, The Shard, London

Love our neighbors as ourselves, exhibition of public art projects for Trenton and Princeton, seeking to

foster unity, racial justice and reconciliation, Princeton Theological Seminary Erdman Center, Princeton, NJ

Art Against Racism, Unitarian Universalist Center, Princeton, NJ

Elevate, Art Can group show, The Shard, London

2018 Is There a Mother in the House, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago

The Influence of Women, BSB Gallery, Trenton, NJ

2017 Worldwide Art Show, Flyer Art Gallery, NY

At This Point in Time, The Scottish Arts Club, Edinburg

What Is The Point, Art Can group show, Image Made Gallery, London

2016 What Is The Point, The Camden Image Gallery

London Contemporary Artists, Flyer Art Gallery

Rome Mujeres, Artworks, Trenton, NJ

Tertulia, Trenton City Museum, Trenton, NJ

2015 What Is The Point, Art Can group show, Mall Galleries, London

America, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ

2013 13 Women, Jubilee Library, Brighton, UK

Photo Synthesis, 219 Gallery, Trenton, NJ

2012 UNICEF Association Roberta Smedili Art Exhibition, Paladiana, Milazzo, Italy

Donne e Muse, Chie Art Gallery, Milan, Italy

Lectures

April 2021 – Princeton University, Professor D.Vance Smith, Arts in the Invisible City: Race, Policy, Performance, undergraduate class

August 2020 – The College of New Jersey Bonner Program, Gentrification in Urban Cities, Trenton panel discussion.

September 2019 – Gloria: A Life, Second Act Special Guest Panelist, McCarter Theater, Princeton, NJ

October 2019 - The Arts as a Force for Social Change, TCNJ Professor Karen Deaver

January 2017 – Featured Speaker, Women United Together We Rise, Women’s March in Trenton, NJ

Artist Residency

November - December 2022 – Residency at the Residencia Corazon in La Plata Bueno Aires, Argentina. A two-month residency concentrated on completing the “Light in Darkness” body of artwork being exhibited at Akwaaba Gallery, Newark, NJ. The series of abstract paintings and sculptures were based on my engagement with the community. The paintings reflected a universality of experience that goes beyond nations and borders. During my time at Residencia Corazón, I was ignited and educated on the complicated history of Afro-Argentine and the diaspora. Engage with the community of my surroundings: teachers, students, artists, business owners, activists, and more. We spoke about how light in a moment of darkness was transcended through their personal journey. Creating six artworks and a sculpture for the final solo exhibition.

Community Projects

2020 – Organizer of Fábrica de Fotos a photography club of first and second generation immigrant students and community mentors embodying different cultures and generations, building unity through photography. Formed during the Covid-19 pandemic, students met once a week through Zoom with a mentor to discuss different photography methods and learn about the talent in our community. In 2020, the meetings culminated in a group show, Covidtopia, held at the main gallery of Artworks Trenton. The club and exhibition were featured on Fox29 and NJ.com. Fábrica de Fotos continues its journey in 2021 collaborating with Artworks Trenton and students from Puerto Rico.

2018 – 2019 – Community organizer of the Trenton Feminist Book Club for women in the Trenton community, focusing on books written by women of color. Awarded a grant from the I Am Trenton Community Foundation, the club operated for 18 months with 39 members.

2016 – 2018 – Community organizer for International Women’s Day in Trenton. Collected donations from the community to aid 70 families in need, assembled school supplies for elementary schools, and created a workshop for increasing rape awareness.

Education

June 2021 – Associate Degree in General Education, Thomas Edison State University