Vanessa Villarreal is a Washington, DC-based mixed-media assemblage artist working primarily with denim scraps, second-hand materials, and acrylic paint. Her practice draws from sewing, painting, and material experimentation, and she has exhibited widely, participated in artist residencies, and collaborated with institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and The Phillips Collection.

Using denim as a medium for Black portraiture, Villarreal explores its connections to American history, labor, and fashion. Drawing from her Panamanian and African American heritage, family archives, and DC community, she creates multidimensional works that reclaim Black narratives while exploring identity, cultural traditions, and shared experience.

I'M ON MY WAY TO HEIGHTS FAR GREATER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE, 2023

24 x 48 in

Mixed media

$1,850