“The people, the environment and the vulnerability are what I carry with me in my practice.”

—Renell Medrano 

Born and raised in the Bronx, NY, Renell Medrano (Dominican American, b.1992) spent carefree summers in the Dominican Republic, playing in the sun with her extended family. For her candid series Pampara, the artist returned for the first time as an adult to explore the ‘energy and beauty’ of her Dominican roots and her parents’ homeland. As explained by Medrano, the series title Pampara is a popular saying referring to ‘how bright Dominican Republic is, how “lit” it is.’ In the work offered here, we see a peaceful moment: two boys lying back-to-back on the sand, basking in the Dominican warmth. ‘We always give this masculinity to the boys in the Dominican Republic,’ the artist comments. ‘But it’s okay to have a soft side, and that’s what I wanted to show in these images: that vulnerability.’  

Medrano has received the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award for Commercial and Editorial Photography (2024) as well as The New York Times Lens blog award (2014). Her work has been widely exhibited, including as part of Aperture’s groundbreaking travelling show The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion (2020-23), and published in such leading publications as Vogue, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar and The New York Times. 

This offering marks the artist’s debut at auction. 

Video interview with Renell Medrano for the ICP Infinity Award, 2024. Courtesy of the artist.