CLAMP is pleased to present “Sin pena,” an exhibition of recent paintings and ceramics by Jean Paul Mallozzi-Diaz. Marking the artist’s first presentation with the gallery and his inaugural solo exhibition in New York City, “Sin pena” translates from Spanish as “without shame or embarrassment.”
Raised in Queens by Italian and Cuban immigrants, Mallozzi-Diaz creates brushy, close-up, and highly stylized figurative works exploring queer leisure, intimacy, and vulnerability. His practice is deeply informed by the complexities of navigating a conservative family dynamic and overcoming cultural and religious biases after coming out as a gay man in the 1990s. While his initial decision to pursue art was met with skepticism from his parents (“just eye rolling and heavy sighs”), and his sexual orientation initially faced rejection, his artwork mirrors a long journey that ultimately culminated in parental understanding, acceptance, and renewed closeness.
The artist explains: “I was forced to overcome a lot of fear and internalized shame when I was coming out. Getting past those emotions was exceedingly hard for me, but it was also the best thing I ever did. My paintings are about claiming the love, pleasure, and identity that are now mine.”
The works on view were largely produced during the artist’s Summer 2026 residency at the NARS Foundation in Brooklyn. They showcase a profound formal maturity defined by vivid colors, bold compositions, and a tactile, signature handling of paint. The narratives fluidly shift between public and private spheres: relaxed queer expression on city streets, public bars, and subway platforms are paired with tender domestic interiors where the artist and his partner embrace, kiss, and have sex. Instances of physical intimacy are rendered without inhibition or self-consciousness. Together with recent self-portraits, the exhibition celebrates a hard-won reality of peace and freedom that once existed only in the artist’s imagination.
