[5] He is part of a generation of artists—such as Coco Fusco, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Pepón Osorio and Papo Colo—who in the 1980s to 1990s explored questions of ethnic, racial and national identity in their work, be it through painting, video, performance or installation.
Sánchez specifically became known for producing brightly hued mixed media canvases that addressed issues of Puerto Rican life in the U.S. and on the island.
Of his work, critic Lucy Lippard once wrote: "it teaches us new ways of seeing what surrounds us.
"[6] Sanchez combines painting and photography with other media clippings and found objects to confront America's political policies and social practices concerning his parents' homeland of Puerto Rico.
[7] Sánchez is a professor of painting, photography and combined media at Hunter College in New York City.