Bio
Jorge E. Bañales is an artist born in Montevideo, Uruguay and based in Washington, DC. His work emerges from a deep engagement with the fractures and contradictions of contemporary society — displacement, systemic oppression, the dehumanizing weight of institutional power, and the erasure of identity under state violence. Through fragmented compositions, generative imagery, sound, and text, he confronts what is concealed beneath the surface of modern life.
Bañales brings to his practice over 20 years of experience as a journalist, translator, and designer — work that took him across languages, cultures, and the corridors of institutions including United Press International, The Washington Post, and the Spanish news agency EFE. That history of bearing witness informs an art practice rooted in critique and documentation: ghostly figures caught in bureaucratic systems, climate data mapped onto living trees, the drift of being lost in time rather than space.
He holds an MFA in Visual and Performing Arts from George Mason University and has exhibited at institutions including the Lorton Workhouse Arts Center and the Fenwick Library Gallery. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Dodho Magazine, and the Washington City Paper.
Education
MFA in Visual and Performing Arts (Photography) at George Mason University
BA English at George Mason University
AAS Interactive Design Major at Northern Virginia Community College
AAS Communications Design at Northern Virginia Community College
Exhibits
Aug. 2024-Nov. 2024, RE(FORM)ER, joint exhibit with Steven Luu, Fenwick Library Gallery, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va. https://www.masonexhibitions.org/exhibitions/reformer
Apr. 24-May 22, 2024, Art of Accumulation, National Juried Show, group exhibit at the John A. Cade Center for Fine Arts Gallery, Anne Arundel Community College, Md.
Jan. 1-Jan. 31, 2024, “Unveiling the Layers,” online group art show, HMVC Gallery, New York: https://www.hmvcgallery.com/exhibitions-group/
Aug. 19, 2021 Online Screening: DC DADA/Verum.non.Verum Presents: ShOrt Film ShOwcase at Rhizome DC
Mar. 26-Apr. 2, 2021 “Inertia of the Real,” solo exhibit at the Gillespie Gallery, George Mason University: http://jorgebanales.com/inertiaofthereal
Oct. 16-Dec.18, 2020 Call & Response: Structure, Fenwick Library Gallery, George Mason University: https://fenwickgallery.gmu.edu/exhibitions/call-response-2020/
Nov. 8-Dec. 14, 2019 SOA Scholarship Exhibition, Atrium Gallery, Buchanan Hall, George Mason University
2019 [Land]scape, Lorton Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, Va.
Dec 3-Feb. 1, 2019 [Land]scape, Fenwick Library, George Mason University: https://fenwickgallery.gmu.edu/exhibitions/landscape/
2014 Winner, Washington City Paper’s Inaugural Photography Contest: www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/45294/2014-photograp...
2013 InstantDC Soul of the City Exhibition Opening
2012 InstantDC Exhibition
2011 InstantDC Mobile Photography Exhibit
2010 InstantDC mobile photo exhibit
Publications
Feb. 27, 2024 Rakt online magazine article about my Eurorack Modular adventures under the name Unspooled: https://app.mlsend.com/y9o1k5e6f7/
Jan. 31, 2022 Modular World Announces Upcoming Date for its Next Level Synthesizer Live-Stream Event: Modular World Announces Upcoming Date for its Next Level Synthesizer Live-Stream Event
Jul. 27, 2021 How to start an art collection on a budget? It’s as easy as buying a farm share: https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/rhizome-dc-community-supported-art/2021/07/26/aeeb0ba2-eb02-11eb-97a0-a09d10181e36_story.html
Dodho Magazine: "Night People": https://www.dodho.com/night-people-by-jorge-banales/
Dec. 15, 2015 Dodho Magazine: "In the City": www.dodho.com/in-the-city-by-jorge-e-banales/
Dec. 20, 2015 Featured Instagrammers: exposeddc.com/2015/12/20/featured-instagrammers-december-...
Nov. 1, 2015 Featured Instagrammers: exposeddc.com/2015/11/01/featured-instagrammers-november-...
Oct. 25, 2015 Featured Instagrammers: exposeddc.com/2015/10/25/featured-instagrammers-october-2...
Jun. 2-Jun. 5, 2014 We Love DC, Week in Review
May 20, 2014 DCist, About Tonight: dcist.com/2014/05/about_tonight_may_20_2014.php
Jul. 8, 2013 DCist: About Tonight: dcist.com/2013/07/about_tonight_july_8_2013.php
Jun. 12, 2013 DCist: About Tonight: dcist.com/2013/06/about_tonight_june_12_2013.php
Jul. 8, 2012 DCist: Photo of the Day: dcist.com/2012/07/photo_of_the_day_july_8_2012.php
Oct. 9, 2012 DCist: Photo of the Day: dcist.com/2012/10/photo_of_the_day_october_9_2012.php
Oct. 4, 2012 DCist: Photo of the Day: dcist.com/2012/10/photo_of_the_day_october_4_2012.php
Discography
Full Length
2016 “It’s Alright” Caz Gardiner
Bandcamp: https://cazgardiner.bandcamp.com/album/its-alright
2012 “The Ambitions” The Ambitions
Bandcamp: https://theambitions.bandcamp.com/
Singles and EPs
2021 “Empalago/Sleepy Hollow” Jorge E. Bañales
Bandcamp: https://jorgebanales.bandcamp.com/album/empalago
2020 “Parque Afelio” Jorge E. Bañales
Bandcamp: https://jorgebanales.bandcamp.com/releases
2018 “In that Moment” Caz Gardiner on “Kingston Factory Presents… The East Coast Sessions”
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5NWRjjeglRHgkHcYz2ZLug?si=zQoJlrJZRS6idtsc-tniEQ&dl_branch=1
2017 “Stop” Caz Gardiner
Bandcamp: https://cazgardiner.bandcamp.com/track/stop
2017 “Everybody” Caz Gardiner
Bandcamp: https://cazgardiner.bandcamp.com/track/everybody
2013 “Caz in Argentina” Caz Gardiner
Bandcamp: https://cazgardiner.bandcamp.com/album/caz-in-argentina
2013 “Caz and the Day Laborer” Caz and the Day Laborers
Bandcamp: https://cazgardiner.bandcamp.com/album/caz-and-the-day-laborers
1998 “Fight for Your Woman” The Checkered Cabs on “NY Ska Mob & Friends: Various”
https://www.discogs.com/Various-NYC-Ska-Mob-Friends/master/981624