the art of AIDS

Albert Velasco

The work of Albert Velasco reflects a continuing interest and exploration of the human form and inner spirit that resides within us. A Californian native and New York resident since 1982, Albert is primarily a self-taught artist. (His art education includes a brief attendance at the Academy of Art in San Francisco.) Albert's precisely detailed pencil drawings often incorporate themes relating to the human form and nature and their relationship to the transformational cycles of time. Having survived a near-fatal automobile accident, alcoholism and HIV infection, Albert has extracted much of his creative energy and direction from intimate, personal experience. 

Albert's most recent collection of work consists of figurative sculptures that evoke the ancient Egyptian rituals of mummification. These intricately wrapped pieces titled 'Anubians', after the Egyptian God of mummification, Anubis, reflect the ancient quest for transformation, renewal and immortality; yet they possess a very distinct modern and contemporary aesthetic. 

Featured in numerous private collections, Albert's work has been included in group exhibitions in New York, San Francisco, New Delhi, India and the Visual AIDS Web Gallery.