Ruben Marroquin

American

Biography

Ruben Marroquin specialized in weaving at F.I.T. New York, where he received a B.F.A. in 2020. He also studied for a semester at the National Textile Workshop in Paris (A.N.A.T. at E.N.S.C.I., Les Ateliers) through a Franco/American student exchange. His career as an artist began at (I.U.E.S.A.P.A.R.) in Caracas, Venezuela, with a focus on painting. Marroquin's process has evolved over two decades, transitioning from hand embroidery to large-scale installations. Ruben lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He recently completed a 20' x 8' artwork in three panels for the U.S. Consulate in Hermosillo, Mexico, as part of an Art in Embassies project, which will be installed in March 2024. Marroquin also works as a weaving assistant at the Fashion Institute of Technology's Textile Development and Marketing.

Artist Statement

Ruben Marroquin's work has undergone many iterations, with the act of stitching being the only constant. Originally flat, Marroquin's work acquired a three-dimensional effect by incorporating bamboo and found objects, which are tied into an assembly that forms an invisible structure. The stitching has evolved into wrapping and coverage, using both colorful and, more recently, muted palettes to accentuate the material's texture. Formally, Ruben's work deals with abstraction, although the forms and volumes he employs often reference the natural and cosmic universe explicitly. It is in this arena that the artist's personal language has expanded into a rich personal vocabulary.