Ray Caspio

Ray Caspio (b. 1979, they/he) is a performance and conceptual artist. Their art is one of exposure. Caspio creates atmospheric works ranging from confessional to comedic in an inquiry into memory, Queer identity, loss, the grotesque of society, and profound emotion. They possess a visceral vulnerability and irreverent humor that opens an authentic conduit between the artist and their audience collaborators. Their performances have been recognized as “magical” and “intensely honest and unflinching,” with Ray being called “a shapeshifter” and “one [person] tour de force.” Caspio’s creations have been performed at The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA), BorderLight Fringe, Theater Ninjas, and Cleveland Public Theatre’s Pandemonium. Caspio’s work appeared on “Best of” lists for Scene Magazine and WCPN’s The Sound of Applause. Ray was profiled by Scene as “The Thespian” of 2014. Caspio founded Michael Chekhov Center Cleveland to share their understanding of Chekhov’s psychophysical performance principles with Northeast Ohio artists. Ray received a 2016 Creative Workforce Fellowship for their performance work. They’ve exhibited locally and nationally, and their visual work is in private collections worldwide. Through the revealing of cathartic truths of their inner life, Caspio inspires the questions: Who am I? Who are you? Who are we? What is this space we inhabit, together? And what does it mean to be alive?