Tafy Laplanche

Tafy LaPlanche is a Queens, New York, USA-based Afro-Latina artist known for her bold, vibrant portraits that celebrate the uniqueness of her subjects.

Her journey into art began in an unexpected place—hospitalized at thirteen with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, she was handed paper and a pen while others played video games. From that moment, drawing became her way of understanding the world.

Her artistic path took an unexpected turn when she enrolled in a Mandarin-speaking art school. Despite the language barrier, she discovered the profound power of visual storytelling. Of Haitian descent, Tafy had initially been encouraged to paint idyllic Caribbean landscapes—but everything shifted during a study abroad trip in Tuscany. One afternoon, while painting a landscape, she was suddenly stung by a bee over her eyelid and lost her sight. An elderly local woman took her in, pressing an onion over her eye to soothe the sting. As her vision gradually returned, Tafy became captivated not by the scenery, but by the woman tending her chickens, caring for a stranger, and simply living her life. It was in that moment she realized what she truly wanted to paint: people, their lives, and their stories.
Watching everyday life unfold in a forei...

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
2009

Maryland Institute College of Art
2013

2020
Vor Kunst - Van Der Plas Gallery

2021
An Exploration of Color in Portraiture - Galleria Meera
The Sketchbook Art Project - Brooklyn Museum
Ultra Black History Month - The Black Art Gallery
Black, Love, Art, and Crypto - B.L.A.C. Gallery
Humanity's Many Faces - Orenda Art Works
Orgulloso - Mar Vista Art Walk
Passing Faces - Blick Art Materials

2022
FAAA Small Works Exhibit - Telfair Museums (Jepson Center)
Art Fields 2022 Competition - Lake City, SC
FAAA at SSU Members Exhibition - Kennedy Fine Arts Gallery
"N/um" Boxed In/Break Out - Jepson Center
El Salón - Savannah Cultural Arts Center
Look! - Sulfur Studios

2023
Women in the Heights - Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance Gallery
13th Annual "Figurative" - Light Space & Time Online Art
LGBTQ+ Latinx & POC Portraits - Art Crawl Harlem
Reclaiming América - Savannah Cultural Arts Center
Savannahopoly- Location Gallery
London Underground - ArtSpace Innovations

2024
Boundless - Savannah Cultural Arts Center
Sankofa Art Installation - Harlem Grown
Cielo y Tierra - Savannah Cultural Arts Center

2025
BFF: Modern Portraits - 33 Contemporary Gallery
Portraits 4th Annual Exhibition - Brooklyn Art Cave
Hair: Untangling Identity - NOMAA Gallery
Iconic Visions: Gir...