Gregg Yupanki Bautista (RAP 2015) is a painter based in New Jersey. His practice serves as a way of communicating with his Andean heritage and interrogates how identity and cultural preservation are affected by circumstances stemming from migration. He attended RAP in July 2015 and earned his B.F.A. in Painting at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
RomeArtProgram: How did your time with RAP influence your work?
Gregg: Rome was the first time where I was able to focus only on painting and drawing without peripheral distractions, as I also worked full time while I worked towards my BFA. Not only did all the historical paintings influence me, but also seeing how light interacted with surfaces started showing me a new way of approaching painting. Fragmented and faded artworks I saw in Rome became responsible for introducing me to some of the painting choices I make today. It was also an intense introduction to watercolors for me, as I had previously only dabbled in the medium. Watercolor now plays a significant role in my practice.
RAP: What was your favorite place in Rome and why?
Gregg: That’s a difficult question, as I consider the whole month in Rome a singular, continuous experience. There was so much history and art (and incredible food) surrounding me at all times. I have mental highlights from the museum at Palazzo Massimo, discussions about Philip Guston and Cezanne while I painted at the Forum, purposely getting lost and using the fragmented Italian I had picked up in order find my way back to the apartment, and a heart-wrenching feeling while exploring and painting at Pompeii, which was triggered by being somewhere that time seemed to have frozen but the world around it kept moving on. I also remember trying to make it to Ponte Sant’Angelo at sunrise and sunset whenever possible just to watch the sunlight play on the Bernini angels, and getting absorbed into the details of any Caravaggio painting.
RAP: What are you working on now? What are your hopes for the future?
Gregg: I’m currently building a body of work that I hope to be able to curate into an exhibition in the next year.
RAP: What has been your biggest art success since studying in Rome?
Gregg: I feel like my biggest success since Rome is an internal one, as I’ve connected with my Andean heritage through painting and research. I’ve had the fortune of being curated into a few group shows, and I’ve done a residency at Vermont Studio Center in 2019, and will be part of The Artist Residency Program this summer at the School of Visual Arts. I’m also included in an upcoming issue of New American Paintings.
RAP: What is your advice for future RAP students?
Gregg: Observe with your eyes, see with your mind, paint with your heart.
greggbautista.com @greggbautista