Yigsy Magaly (b. 1998, San Salvador, El Salvador; raised in New Jersey) is a visual artist exploring the emotional relationship between line, color, and form. Beginning with photorealistic portraiture, she later developed a minimal yet expressive style that captures feeling through flat color and intricate linework.
Her ongoing series centers on faceless figures that function as emotional vessels. Rather than relying on facial expression, Magaly focuses on posture, gesture, and patterned environments to communicate emotional states. The absence of identity invites viewers to project their own experiences onto the body, emphasizing the idea that emotions are carried but do not define who we are.
A graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Magaly’s work has been exhibited across New Jersey and New York. Alongside her studio practice, she also leads art workshops that invite participants into her process, using guided mark-making and color as tools for personal expression and connection. Her work continues to explore how abstraction and the human form can serve as a language for emotional experience.
CV
Education:
(2020) - Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, BFA
Solo Exhibitions:
2024: “Abstraction of the Human Mind”, Two-person exhibition collaboration with Angel Duran, The Herb + Milly Iris Gallery, South Orange, NJ
2019: “Closed & Exposed”, at Mason Gross Galleries - New Brunswick, NJ
2018: “Just a Thought”, at Mason Gross Galleries - New Brunswick, NJ
2017: “Warm but Cool Tones " , at Mason Gross Galleries - New Brunswick, NJ
2016: “Intro to Kat”, at Mason Gross Galleries - New Brunswick, NJ
Group Exhibitions:
2026 - Focal Point, Motto Juice Bar & Gallery - Newark, NJ
2025 - Smile, at Buds & Blooms - Englewood, NJ
2025 - Love Is The Remedy, at Buds & Blooms - Englewood, NJ
2024 - The Big Small Show 2024, The Terrarium Gallery & The Alcove Gallery at Drawing Rooms - Jersey City, NJ
2024 - NCJW/Essex Gala 2024 Art Show, Private Event - Livingston, NJ
2024 - Kaleidoscope Hispanica, at Pierro Gallery - South Orange, NJ
2024 - Red 7, at Perth Amboy Gallery - Perth Amboy, NJ
2024 - Vibrant Melodies, at Buds & Blooms - Englewood, NJ
2024 - Static Motion, at Art 150 Gallery - Jersey City, NJ
2024 - Diaspora, at Perth Amboy Gallery - Perth Amboy, NJ
2024 - Underground Armoire, at Sour Mouse LES - New York, NY
2023 - The WAE Open 2023 Heidi Gallery at JSDD - Livingston, NJ
2023 - Art Fair 14C Liberty State Park - Jersey City, NJ
2023 - Consumed by Creativity, Electrical Jungle - Jersey City, NJ
2023 - Behind City Walls Caelum Gallery - Chelsea, NY
2023 - Unfamiliar Faces, Showcase in collaboration with Angel Duran, OneRiver Art School - Clark, NJ
2023 - High Thoughts The Green Room - Englewood, NJ
2023 - The Bititis, Carter Fine Art Services - Montclair, NJ
2023 - Love Hurts, at UGLYSTUDIO. - Leonia, NJ
2023 - Curtain Call, at Mason Gross Galleries - New Brunswick, NJ
2022 - UGLY STUDIO., at UGLYSTUDIO. - Leonia, NJ
2022 - A Breathe of Fresh Air, at Buds & Blooms - Englewood, NJ
2021 - Unrequited!, atCaelum Gallery - Chelsea, NY
2021 - Layers, David Dupuy Gallery - Manhattan, NY
2021 - The Crowd, 7House Gallery - Brooklyn, NY
2020 - Windows of Understanding Projects of New Brunswick Community Arts Council - New Brunswick, NJ
2019 - Vision for the Future, at Mason Gross Galleries - New Brunswick, NJ
2019 - A Burden To Bare - Ridgewood, NY
2019 - “Untitled”, Showcase in collaboration with Angel Duran,at Mason Gross Galleries - New Brunswick, NJ
2019 - The Blacker The Berry Exhibition, Busch Student Center - Piscataway, NJ
2019 - Up In The Clouds at GSAH - New Brunswick, NJ
2018 - Onwards and Upwards, at Mason Gross Galleries - New Brunswick
2017 - Between Either & Or at Mason Gross - New Brunswick, NJ
2016 - William Paterson Art Show at William Paterson Gallery - Wayne, NJ
Exhibitions Curated:
2019 - Vision for the Future at Mason Gross Galleries, New Brunswick
2019 - Up In The Clouds at GSAH, New Brunswick, NJ
Recognition/Awards:
2019 - Scarlet Promise Grant, at Rutgers University
2019 - Distinguished Scholar Award, at Rutgers University
2019 - Ruth Crocket Art, at Rutgers University
2018 - Ruth Crocket Art, at Rutgers University
2016 - Best Painting Award, at William Paterson University
Select Publications
https://canvasrebel.com/?post_types=&s=yigsymagaly
https://montclairlocal.news/venue/sopac/
https://www.sopacnow.org/events/abstraction-of-the-human-mind/
https://jcitytimes.com/static-motion-at-gallery-14c/
https://www.bokeh.show/yigsy-magaly
https://www.artistonish.com/p/march2026.html
