The renowned Dominican/Swedish artist, Tania Marmolejo, returns to the Dominican Republic with her new solo show, “Mi naturaleza,” opening on April 23, 2026, at 7:00pm at Lyle O. Reitzel Arte Contemporáneo (LOR Gallery), located at Torre Piantini, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Entertainment by DJ Boundary.
Description (by Tania Marmolejo): In “Mi naturaleza,” nature has a dual meaning. It speaks of the physical world that shaped me—the ocean, the rivers, and the open landscapes of my childhood—the places that witnessed my growth and helped to mold the very nature of who I am.
But my nature also belongs to a deeper, inherited realm: one rooted in the memory, mythology, and spiritual traditions of the Caribbean. These paintings are inhabited by figures and symbols drawn from Taíno and African heritage, including the Ciguapa, the legendary woman with backward feet whose footprints deceived the men who sought her, and Yemayá, the Goddess of the Sea, whose presence was frequently invoked when I fished in the Caribbean waters with my father.
The horse also embodies this duality. In Afro-Caribbean traditions such as Santería and Vodou, spiritual possession is part of a sacred and ancestral language. In my paintings of horses, the animal is never merely an animal: it becomes both a physical presence and a spiritual extension, an embodiment of inner strength, mystery, and the power of the feminine figure.
The quinceañeras and younger girls who appear throughout this series continue a recurring theme in my practice: the protection of young women and girls. Their presence speaks of vulnerability, transformation, and strength, as well as the sacred responsibility to protect them as they journey through the world.
In this exhibition, nature is not simply landscape. It is origin, instinct, myth, memory, and heritage. They are the visible and invisible forces that shape us. “Mi naturaleza” is, ultimately, a reflection on the worlds that formed me and on the feminine spirit that moves through them.
The renowned Dominican/Swedish artist, Tania Marmolejo, returns to the Dominican Republic with her new solo show, “Mi naturaleza,” opening on April 23, 2026, at 7:00pm at Lyle O. Reitzel Arte Contemporáneo (LOR Gallery), located at Torre Piantini, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Entertainment by DJ Boundary. Description (by Tania Marmolejo): In “Mi naturaleza,” nature has a
