Raul De Lara (b. 1991, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico) is a sculptor based in New York City. His practice centers on material exploration, working with wood, stone, sand, steel, and leather to create forms that draw on storytelling, humor, magical realism, and the uncanny. Referencing flora, furniture design, and cultural artifacts, his sculptures shift between familiarity and strangeness, inviting emotional and narrative engagement. His work reflects on nationality, queer identity, and the immigrant experience, informed by his migration to the U.S. at age 12 and his status as a DACA recipient since 2012.
Alongside his studio practice, De Lara engages in research that preserves and evolves traditional woodworking practices in Mexican and American cultures while incorporating contemporary developments in the global craft industry. He received his MFA in Sculpture + Extended Media from Virginia Commonwealth University and his BFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin. Recent and upcoming exhibitions include the SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah (2025), the Tucson Museum of Art (2025), and the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, Riverside (2025), with honors including the Maxwell/Hanrahan Award in Craft, NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, and Art in America’s “New Talent” Top 20 Artists to Watch, among others.