Raquel Albarran

Raquel was our first ever remote resident, working out of her home studio in the mountains of Utuado, Puerto Rico. Over her residency she explored themes of toes, horses, amputations, roosters in the rain, smoking babies, toe plants, and fruit — guanábana​, papaya, mango, green apples, guava and paw paw, to name a few.

During her residency, Raquel drew her favorite cute and creepy subjects including inflamed tonsils, amputated toes, skeleton cupcakes and juicy pears served with chicken feet. Her colorful and unforgettable images sear themselves in the imagination, tickling your curiosity while also potentially triggering your gag reflex. 

In May, Summertime visited Raquel in Puerto Rico to celebrate her birthday and bring her treasures from her beloved New York City (including a foil pig in a sombrero from Dean Millien and the Barbie dentist chair she requested). We met the whole family — Angel, Eggy and Jaquiline — over pizza and guava from their garden, got in a few toe squeezes and packed up all the beautiful work to bring back for her show at Summertime, You Could Die at Any Age.