Juan Arango Palacios was born in Pereira, Colombia, and was raised in a traditional Catholic home. Their traditional upbringing was cut short by a series of migrations that their family took seeking a better future. The family moved from Colombia to southern Louisiana where Juan’s sense of identity and belonging began to be skewed by their lack of knowledge of the English language, their unfamiliarity with American culture, and their internal struggle with a queer identity. Living in other parts of Louisiana and Texas, and being further subdued by the conservative culture in which they lived, Juan continued to live with a constant fear of their own identity throughout their youth. Juan graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA in painting and drawing, and has found a safe-haven within the queer community in Chicago.
JUAN ARANGO PALACIOS
EDUCATION
2020 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
SOLO AND DUO EXHIBITIONS
2021 They Seek to Glimmer – Musik Curatorial, Dallas, TX
2020 Recuerdos - SITE Galleries, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 A Flame Sparkling – Fluffy Crimes, Chicago, IL
2020 ENTRECUERPOS - Heaven Gallery, Chicago, IL
The Chicago Painters Exhibition - Happy Gallery Chicago, Chicago, IL
Undefined: Pride Month Benefit Project - Curina, New York City, NY
Undergraduate Exhibition - Sullivan Galleries, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
HYBERNATE - Workshop 4200, Chicago, IL
CUFFING - Jackson Junge Gallery, Chicago, IL
2019 CASA- 5th Floor Gallery, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago,IL
2018 Strange - Lune Noir Gallery, Chicago,IL
AWARDS / RESIDENCIES / FELLOWSHIPS
2020 Student Leadership Award, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Excellence in Leadership Award, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Chicago Artists Coalition SPARK Grant Recipient, Chicago, IL
2019 Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art Residency, Yale University, Norfolk, CT
Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative (DAMLI) Exhibition Design intern, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2018 Andrew W. Mellon Summer Scholar, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Dean’s List Award Recipient, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
PRESS
2020 Juan Arango Palacios - Art Maze Magazine, Winter Issue 16, London, UK
Meet the Graduating Class - School of the Art Institute of Chicago Magazine, Chicago, IL
2019 Interactive Gallery: Room to Move - Art Institute of Chicago Member’s Magazine, Summer Issue, Chicago, IL