KELLY TAPIA-CHUNING

BIOGRAPHY

Kelly Tapia-Chuning (b. 1997, California) is a mixed Xicana artist with Indígena ancestry, currently based in Miami, FL. Recognized for her textile- and research-based practice, Tapia-Chuning's work critically examines 'mestizaje' and the histories of assimilation within Mexican culture. Through the deconstruction and reconfiguration of the iconic Mexican blanket, the serape, her work seeks to heal ancestral trauma and reconnect with long-forgotten familial histories and cultural roots.

Tapia-Chuning received an MFA in Fiber from Cranbrook Academy of Art, where she was awarded a Gilbert Fellowship. In 2025, her work was selected for the 18th International Triennial of Textile in Łódź (PL). Other honors include CAA's 2023 Professional Development Fellow in Visual Arts Award and the 2024 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center. Tapia-Chuning's work has been included in exhibitions at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, UT; The Shepherd, MI; The Bunker Artspace, FL; Kimball Art Center, UT; Cranbrook Art Museum, MI; Onna House, NY & FL; Clubhouse Gallery, FL; and David Castillo Gallery, FL, among others. Solo exhibitions include Liliana Bloch Gallery, TX, and an upcoming exhibition with Kouri+Corrao, NM, August 2026. Tapia-Chuning will have her first solo presentation at NADA NY with Milk Moon Gallery, CO, spring 2026. 

Tapia-Chuning has held residencies at Ucross (WY), Stove Works (TN), and Zion National Park (UT). Her work has been featured in Artnet News, Southwest Contemporary, Surface, and Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine, among others. Tapia-Chuning's work is held in numerous private and public collections across the US, including the Cranbrook Art Museum, MI; Tang Teaching Museum & Art Gallery, NY; The Bunker Artspace, FL; Onna House, NY & FL; the State of Utah Alice Merrill Horne Art Collection, the Southern Utah Museum of Art, and the Salt Lake County Visual Art Collection.