Omar Velazquez – Reina del Miedo (Queen of Fear)
For the month of August Omar Velazquez is the artist in charge of the limited edition print. The print titled “Reina del Miedo” is an individual work where the narrative focuses on the idolizing of a puppet called La Comay, that has kept the attention of masses through numerous years on TV, the program based on gossip and sensationalist news. It has been the top rated TV show in the Island for over a decade.
In this work Velazquez shows the main character as the iconic figure as idolized by the people. The puppet has a moth for a head connoting that the puppet is an insect which is a word associated in our culture by despicable person that either rats on people or just betray his friends on some level. The image has a small crowd of people raising this figure in the air as if it was some kind of God which is a metaphor for the people’s love for this figure. The people in the original image are actually carrying a casket on the way to the cemetery to be buried, which represents the decay of our culture and society as a whole.
It is a very powerful image and strong social critic towards the people and the priorities we have as a society. Velazquez work has mostly been of social thematic speaking for the less fortunate and giving them a voice over the years. This is no exception only here he is not speaking for the less fortunate but for the whole Island and their lack of role models to look up to.
Omar Velazquez graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in graphic arts and printing. He was a finalist in all 3 editions of Oriental Group Arte Joven Contest and is currently exhibiting a solo show at the Taller Vivo experimental showroom in the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo. For more information on his works please visit his website www.omarvelazquezstudio.com to learn more about his current and past works.
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