Manuel Vazquez, also known as Mava, is a Deaf, queer, Puerto Rican-German artist and professor whose work explores language, identity, desire, and transformation through sculpture, painting, and mixed media. His background, shaped by migration, military-family life, Deaf experience, and navigating hearing environments, deeply informs his visual and tactile approach to art.
He earned his BA from Gallaudet University and his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His work has been exhibited in NYC, Washington, D.C., Aqua Art during Miami Art Basel, MOMA PS1. and several juried exhibitions. Vazquez is an Associate Professor of Art at Gallaudet University.
His practice invites viewers to slow down, look differently, and consider how meaning is formed through the body, material, language, and experience.