Raul De Lara works with wood, sand and other organic materials to explore body language, plant behavior, immigrant household drama, and furniture futures. Blending the fields of sculpture and design, he makes objects that follow a rigorous phase of historical research, performed rituals, and multicultural hand carving techniques. De Lara immigrated from Mexico to the United States at the age of 12, and has been a DACA recipient since 2012.

De Lara was born in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico and received his BFA from the University of Texas at Austin (2015) and his MFA from VCU’s Department of Sculpture and Extended Media (2019). He has previously shown at Prizer Gallery and the Visual Arts Center, both, Austin, TX; The Anderson, Richmond, VA; Greasewood Gallery, Marfa, TX; Pfizer Building, Brooklyn, NY; Christie’s Fine Art, Heaven Gallery, and Chicago Artists Coalition, all, Chicago, IL. He has received multiple accolades and residencies, including the 2019 Fellowship from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the International Sculpture Center’s 2018 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award, HATCH Projects 2015 Resident from the Chicago Artists Coalition, and the Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists Residency 2015 Fellowship in Michigan.