About Me
Emiliana Henriquez was born in El Salvador and moved to the United States as a child, growing up in East Los Angeles before relocating to the Westside. Her upbringing in diverse, contrasting communities exposed her to themes of race, cultural segregation, and identity—subjects that would later serve as core influences in her art. Raised in a family engaged in various spiritual practices, including Yoruba, Hinduism, and Sacred Geometry, Emiliana developed an early appreciation for different cultures and belief systems.
Encouraged by her father, a passionate art enthusiast, Emiliana began exploring the arts through drawing and painting from a young age. Despite lacking formal art training, she worked as a painting assistant to artist Aaron Gilbert, where she gained invaluable experience and mentorship. Over the years, Emiliana has honed her craft, developing a distinctive style that fuses colorful atmospheric environments with storytelling and visual symbolism. Her approach is largely self-taught, drawing upon mentorship, intuition, and years of practice.
In January 2025, Emiliana presented her second solo exhibition in New York, Warm Blue Velvet, at the Half Gallery Annex. This series explored the subtle commonalities found across cultures, drawing inspiration from her travels to Egypt and the shared devotional practices within the Abrahamic religions. Through symbolic representations of fabric and a triadic color palette, Emiliana examined the connections between faiths, blending Medieval art influences with contemporary aesthetics. The exhibition invited reflection on identity and cultural kinship, emphasizing the shared human experience that transcends religious boundaries.
Her recent projects include Lilies of the Nile (2024), featured in Artsy’s collaboration with Outfront Media USA, Artists Shaping Culture: Hispanic Heritage in Full Color—a nationwide campaign celebrating Hispanic artists during Hispanic Heritage Month. Emiliana’s work will be shown with Sorondo Projects at Untitled Art Fair Miami (December 2025) and featured in The Wrap Magazine’s The Wrap Book Vol. 4: The Art of Television. In October 2025, she also appeared at the Upstairs Art Fair in Paris with Half Gallery.
Since June 2025, Emiliana has been traveling across Europe and is currently working from Essaouira, Morocco, where she continues to develop a new body of work inspired by her surroundings and ongoing experiences abroad.