re:tratos urbanos rodríguez calero at the Gallery Space at Wagner NYU

Artist Statement:

The exhibition re:tratos urbanos rodríguez calero featured at NYU Wagner’s Gallery represents my constant commitment and concerns regarding my heritage and diverse communities. The works are personal and deeply rooted to encompass many issues regarding identity, gender, race, ageism, social and spiritual beliefs.

Curator Statement:

The Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University is home to the Gallery Space at Wagner. Our mission is to bring artwork into a public-accessible workspace to further engage the NYU community and local audiences in dialogues on contemporary art, culture, and public service. In exploring this intersectionality, we prioritize partnerships that foster social justice, human rights advocacy, and political activism, as well as projects that promote Wagner’s commitment to IDBEA values—inclusion, diversity, belonging, equity, and access. 

Installation view, re:tratos urbanos rodríguez calero at Gallery Space at Wagner NYU Wagner | The Puck Building. March 21 – June 23, 2023. Courtesy Gallery Space at Wagner NYU Wagner | The Puck Building Photo Credit Jonathan King

Description:

Proudly marking Women’s History Month, re:tratos urbanos (urban portraits) highlights the work of celebrated Nuyorican painter and collage artist Rodríguez Calero (affectionately known as RoCa). With a focus on portraiture, this two-decade survey exhibit showcases RoCa’s signature acrollage and fotacrolé tech­niques, two innovative processes that blend painting, printmaking, photography, and collage to spellbinding effects. Meticulously layer­ing paper, acrylic paint, and recycled materials, among a rich variety of mediums, the artist presents an intriguing collection of portraits that masterfully combine religious iconography, classical and Byzantine patterns, and elements of hip-hop and street art. Bold colors, compo­sitional balance, texturing, and ornamentation are the visual means to the thematic depth and gravitas behind each portrait.

Presented by the Gallery Space at Wagner and the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CLACS).

re:tratos urbanos rodríguez calero

Gallery Space at Wagner

March 21 – June 23, 2023

Curator Frankie Cresioni-Santoni

NYU Wagner | The Puck Building

295 Lafayette Street | 2nd Floor | NYC 10012

Monday - Friday 12 - 5 pm | 1212.998.7400

For more information about Rodríguez Calero's art, please visit her site. For more information about the exhibit, please visit here.