Rafael Landea

Dress Rehearsal Chronicles

The Dress Rehearsal Chronicles is a series of large-sized drawings (14 by 5 feet) on upholstery fabric that explore the backstage world of the opera. The images reveal perspectives from the other side of the audience, where the fictional characters and theater workers “live out” the operas in a manner that reminds us of the age old question: “Does life imitate art, or vice versa?”
Fabric patterns and colors for each piece were chosen based on the ambience of each opera. Each drawing depicts a world where the power of the play captures people on all sides of the stage. When the singers/actors perform, there are people working from above, below, behind, and in front of the stage. The musicians in the orchestra pit have the meticulous task of synchronizing sound and performance. The stage workers transform a castle into a cliff, light the moon or start a storm. These individuals are trapped in the implacable time mechanism of the opera story.
Each piece hangs freely from a curtain rod with no stretchers or any kind of preparation to keep the drape of the fabric natural. Extra fabric at the bottom of each drawing gathers on the floor and gives the pieces the look of a theater prop.
This book presents four pieces inspired by the operas Tosca, Les contes d’Hoffmann, Billy Budd and The Medium.
Dress Rehersal Chronicles Booklet
tosca

DRC, Tosca

the medium

DRC, The Medium

les contes d'hoffmann

DRC, Les contes d’Hoffmann (redo)

billy budd

DRC, Billy Budd

#2 tosca
#1 billy budd
#4 les contes d'hoffmann
#3 the medium
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Rafael Landea

Rafael Landea Artista Visual

A visual artist, Rafael Landea creates paintings and drawings in both traditional and digital media. His artistic style was greatly influenced by an early job as a theater stage designer resulting in artistic interpretations which are deeply narrative and inspired by historical facts, literature, theater, films, music and architecture.
His work has been recognized by institutions such as the San Francisco Arts Commission, Artery Project and Center for Cultural Innovation, plus was featured at Our Radar by Creative Capital New York.

He has shown his paintings at venues worldwide, including:

  • San Francisco, California: The Exploratorium, Grace Cathedral Gallery, Gensler Design.
  • Buenos Aires: Holocaust Museum, Malvinas Museum, Art and Memory Museum and Centro Cultural Haroldo Conti.
  • Participated in collective exhibitions in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Cuba.

Rafael’s murals can be seen today in Buenos Aires, La Plata and San Francisco. He was lead artistic collaborator on Munú Actis Goretta’s mosaic murals near Turin and in Genoa, Italy.

Rafael has developed illustrations media and publishers in Argentina including Anfibia, Malisia, EME Ediciones B and Universities.

Rafael received his MFA at La Plata University, Argentina and developed his professional career between Buenos Aires and San Francisco. Rafael moved to Catalonia, Spain in 2024

He is developing a digital series inspired by the lives of two Native American men from opposite regions in north and south America, whose stories and destinies present surprising similarities.

[email protected]
@rafael.landea