Tiffany Alfonseca

Tiffany Alfonseca was born in New York in 1994, the youngest of two daughters. Her sister is a psychologist. The family has its roots in the Dominican Republic. Her mother was born in the U.S., but Alfonseca’s first language was Spanish. The family lived in the Bronx, but Alfonseca spent much of her time in the Inwood section of Manhattan, where Dominican culture is prevalent.

Alfonseca’s mother encouraged her daughter's interest in art and supplied her with the tools she needed. She attended Fashion Industries High School and went on to receive her BFA, with Honors, from the School of Visual Arts in 2020.

In 2021, she was Artist in Residence at The Mistake Room in Los Angeles, where she had her first solo show. In 2024 she was Artist in Residence for New Wave Art Wknd & Artist Residency Program in West Palm Beach.

Alfonseca draws and paints bold, colorful mixed-media portraits that reflect her Dominican-American heritage. “To be honest, I hadn't ever seen black or brown figures depicted in art until I went to art college,” she said in an interview with Whitehot Magazine. “At that point, I instantly started to think about how I could create beautiful moments for people who may feel unseen or excluded in today’s beauty and art standards. I began digging, and grabbed inspiration from archived family photos, used friends as muses, took my own photos of the community, and even started to ask followers on instagram to participate in my projects. Through these captured moments, I honor community, hair, joy, ethnic beauty, moments of leisure, unity, family, culture, and everyday life.”

The works of Tiffany Alfonseca have been shown in galleries and venues in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and London.

 She lives and works in New York.

  References:

Clare Gemima. Interview with New Wave Artist in Residence, Tiffany Alfonseca. Whitehot Magazine. January 8, 2025.

Jewels Dodson. Tiffany Alfonseca: A Not So Subtle Rebellion. Juxtapoz.