Private View | Rafael Trelles: Caliban at October Gallery, London

Solo exhibition of new paintings which explore nature and Indigenous resistance to colonialism. October Gallery presents Caliban, the second solo exhibition by Puerto Rican artist Rafael Trelles. In this powerful new series, Trelles transforms one of Shakespeare’s most contested characters into a potent symbol of Indigenous resistance to colonial domination. Known for his dreamlike, magico-mythical paintings, Trelles creates richly layered worlds in which light, shadow, flora and fauna converge. At the centre of this exhibition is Caliban, the original inhabitant of the island in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, whose land and freedom are seized by the exiled Duke Prospero. Trelles radically reverses Shakespeare’s perspective, presenting Caliban not as a ‘savage’ subject to be controlled, but as a figure of dignity, resilience and agency. Drawing on the writings of Cuban intellectual Roberto Fernández Retamar, Trelles explores the connections between ‘Caliban’, ‘cannibal’ and ‘Caribe’, linking the character to the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. This historical and linguistic resonance becomes deeply personal for the artist, who states: “In this precise sense, I am Caliban.” Across these ethereal paintings, Caliban exists in profound harmony with his environment, while Prospero represents an external, objectifying force that seeks to classify and control. Trelles instead imagines nature as a space of symbiosis and belonging. Caliban connects the colonial history of the Caribbean 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. 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, 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.