Artist Biography

Julio César Sánchez Matos, known professionally as Julio Sánchez – JULSAN, is a visual artist whose work connects Caribbean identity with environmental responsibility. Born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, in 1972 and raised in Barahona, Dominican Republic, he works across painting, mixed media, and environmental art, transforming discarded materials into expressive compositions.

His interest in art began during childhood in Barahona. In 1993, he moved to Miami and continued developing a practice shaped by his Dominican roots and his experiences in the United States. His early training included painting and calligraphy, followed by preparatory studies at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Santo Domingo in 2005.

In early 2000, he suffered an accident that injured his spine and left him bedridden for almost a year. He underwent surgery in October of that year, and his recovery lasted approximately three years. During this period, he experienced profound depression and found in art an ally that helped him overcome it. Artistic creation became an essential source of support during his recovery and took on a deeply personal significance in his life. In 2008, while living in Orlando, Florida, he suffered a relapse that left him unable to walk for about six months. Throughout that period, he continued painting, including from a wheelchair. He credits God for his recovery and recalls that, even under those circumstances, he never gave up art.

Through JULSAN ENVIRONMENT ART, he gives new purpose to recovered wood, copper, wire, plastic, cardboard, and other found objects. Color, texture, and relief become ways to explore renewal, the protection of nature, and animal conservation. Each work invites viewers to reconsider what they discard and recognize the creative possibilities in their everyday surroundings.

His exhibition history includes presentations at CityArts in Orlando, the Orange County Library System, and cultural venues in the Dominican Republic. In New York, he participated in Divine, a group exhibition presented at Gallery 104 from July 4 to 26, 2019, curated by Lucy McCarron. The exhibition brought together artists from various disciplines to explore interpretations of the divine. His recent projects include Latin Expression of Environmental Art at the Eatonville Branch in 2023; Sad Beauty and Between Love & Music at CityArts in 2024; Nature in Danger in 2025; and JULSAN Environmental Art 2026 at CityArts’ Spotlight Gallery.

In 2011, he worked with young people through artistic self-expression activities in Wraparound Orange’s Springing into Healthy Minds program. That year, Commissioner John “Q” Quiñones thanked him for displaying his work at Osceola County’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration. El Sentinel featured him in its coverage of Dominican Culture Week at the Orlando Public Library. He also received an invitation to exhibit his work at the Hispanic Heritage Committee of Greater Orange County’s Mayor’s Luncheon, dedicated that year to the Dominican Republic.

In 2011, he won third place in Mixed Media for Part of You in Me at the Osceola Center for the Arts Annual Juried Art Show, an institution where his exhibition participation dates back to 2007. Also in 2011, Florida State Representative Darren M. Soto thanked him for his artistic participation in the fourth annual Puerto Rico Day at the Capitol.

His honors include a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition signed in 2009 by U.S. Representative Alan Grayson for his artistic contribution to the community. In 2015, the Ayuntamiento Municipal de Barahona named him Hijo Distinguido, recognizing his connection to the city and his artistic contribution. He also received recognitions from the Consulate of Mexico in Orlando and Tertulia 4 Gatos in 2022 and 2025, and from the Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in Orlando in 2024.

In 2023, Spectrum News 13 highlighted his environmental practice in its Everyday Hero coverage. His JulSan Environment Art project was selected for a United Arts of Central Florida Individual Artist Grant for fiscal year 2024. Three of his original artworks appeared in the set decoration of the second season of the television series David Makes Man (2021).

JULSAN seeks to bring artistic expression and environmental awareness closer to community life. Through his work and proposals for participatory workshops, he invites people to discover the creative value of recovered materials and reflect on the legacy we leave for future generations

Julio Sánchez JULSAN