Gallery Talk: Rafael Trelles in Conversation with Gerard Houghton

Join us for a unique opportunity to listen to acclaimed artist Rafael Trelles about his new paintings. October Gallery is pleased to present a talk between artist Rafael Trelles and Gerard Houghton, the Gallery’s Director of Special Projects, held in conjunction with the exhibition Rafael Trelles: Caliban. The discussion will offer insights into Trelles’ distinctive artistic practice and the ideas informing his paintings. Drawing on works featured in the exhibition, Trelles will explore the Caribbean culture that shapes his work, alongside the inspirations and concerns which underpin his current practice. Known for his dreamlike, magico-mythical paintings, Trelles creates richly layered worlds where light, shadow, flora and fauna converge. At the heart of the exhibition is Caliban, the island’s original inhabitant in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, whose land and freedom are seized by Prospero. Trelles reimagines Caliban as a figure of dignity, resilience and agency rather than a ‘savage’ to be controlled. The talk connects Caribbean colonial history with contemporary questions of identity, migration, racism and cultural displacement, offering a poetic meditation on land, memory and the right to define one’s own story. Places are limited and advance registration is recommended. The conversation will take place on the ground floor of October Gallery. About Rafael Trelles Rafael Trelles began studying painting at the age of eleven, under the guidance of Spanish painter Julio Yort. In 1980, Trelles did postgraduate studies at the University of Mexico, Mexico City. In 1985, he moved to the Canary Islands in Spain and began to explore alchemy, mysticism and magic. He developed the technique of combining naturalistic drawings of flora and fauna in ways that suggest overtones of ethereal significance. His paintings are suffused with hints of hidden insight and awareness. He first showed with October Gallery in 2018, as part of the exhibition Portal with a series of works called Flora, in which he invites the viewer into a naturalist trance. In 2021 Museo de las Américas, Puerto Rico, presented a solo show of Trelles’ work, entitled The Imagined Word, the exhibition was inspired by the artist’s readings of works by writers including Lewis Carroll, Gabriel García Márquez and Franz Kafka. In the same year he presented Axis Mundi, his first solo exhibition at October Gallery, London. Trelles has been exhibited internationally including, Elite Fine Arts Gallery, Florida; Queens Museum of Art, New York, USA; the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts (CMCArts), Frederiksted, Saint Croix, US Virgin Islands; and Galería de Arte del Complejo Cultural BUAP, Puebla, Mexico. In 2018, a major exhibition Santurce, un libro mural, was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico. His work is in many collections including: Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico, Santurce, Puerto Rico; Ramapo College Museum, New Jersey, Orlando Florida; Library of Congress, Washington, USA; and University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia. October Gallery Trust has nurtured and promoted extraordinary artists from a multitude of cultures — long before such global perspectives became common practice. The gallery has been widely valued as a nexus for artistic, intellectual and ecological collaboration, supported by a rich cross-cultural education programme. As we look ahead, we do so with the same pioneering spirit that defined our beginnings. Your support helps us continue offering individuals and communities a welcoming, globally minded oasis. A small donation of £5 will help preserve our historic gallery as a sanctuary for creativity, ecology and learning. Please donate by clicking the link here. Portrait: Rafael Trelles. Photo by Rebecca Zilenziger. Image: Rafael Trelles Caliban V, 2026. Oil on linen, 182.88 x 121.92 cm. © Rafael Trelles. Courtesy the Artist and October Gallery, London.