After meeting Angel Borroto's work for the first time at Amor/Fuego Gallery, where I got to meet a a few of the artists I work with today and some that became really good friends with as well including Armig Santos, Kivan Quinones and Saki Sacarello whom I've known from before. I also saw Borroto's work a El Cuadrado Gris and just knew he was more than just an up and comer he was a force to be reckon with for the next 60 years.

He had a show at the Modulo de Mejoramiento Comunitario (MCC) in Rio Piedras and was impressed with his work but most of all his dedication and work ethic. I took it upon me to promote his solo show and went on to sell around 5 pieces of that exhibition. 

My job is to promote and sell art and thats what I do, artists either don't know how to sell or simply don't like the part of selling their work. That's when I came in and we started a business relationship that has extended to his inclusion in 3 exhibitions in less than 2 years at Trailer Park Proyetcs. Generation Next at El Schomburg in Chicago, Pintura Contemporanea de PfknR which led up to Suenos Brujos his first solo show with TTP, a pop-up show at Publica that was originally set up to be up for 10 days and it was extended to almost 20 days. Thanks to Omar Obdulio and his gallery 2Bleo who hosted the show and helped with the logistics of the space, very grateful for Omar's help and support throughout the years.

The exhibition design was stunning and the way the exhibition flowed and told a story was really something I am very proud of. With a group effort between Angel, Omar and myself we had to make some changes in site but they worked out perfectly. This is a show set up Im extremely proud of.

Opening was great a lot of big collectors came to see his show including Ignacio Cortes, Otto Reyes, Eduardo Rodriguez and the late John Belk, also the late art critic Manuel Alvarez Lezama both of whom were very dear friends and supporters of my projects. We sold a few pieces but was really happy to sell to 2 young up and coming collectors. It's always great to sell to the young people who you know make a big sacrifice to purchase and collect art. 

The exhibition opened on July the 1st, 2025 and closed unofficially on the 10th of July. It was extended till the 20th of July. 

Here are some photos of the opening night and of some the works exhibited:

USA Clown Flag print by Alexis Figueroa

When you hang out with creative people, artistas and people that are always uncovering the government on going gaslighting of 125 years and propaganda and you actually see a small part of what's happening behind the political curtain you get ideas and sometimes they are cool enough you want to actually do it. 

On this try after the current regime in the USA is clowning and doing stuff that will compromise the USA forever, I came up a simple design that would reflect the current state of the White House and all their corrupt goons in power. So I designed this clown flag to have a visual representation of what the USA is at its current state and how every other country in the world sees them.

Its 50 states led by clown in office ones racist and not good people and the others are just another type of clown that just go along and are not fighting back with enough to power to make the circus stop. Coming from the colony of Puerto Rico and not having representation and not being able to vote yet having an owner makes it worse plus the Stockholm syndrome within my country's politicians is absolute mind-blowing and insane.

This is another one of the small print we are doing for fun and to promote art with the younger generation that likes fun art to talk about and have a political statement without the negative connotations that having a political artwork on your walls can have.

Antonio Martorell found it hilarious and got one for his personal collection. This is me delivering it to him in his Ponce studio. I am honored that such a political artist that has done so much for our arts and culture has one in his collection. It's incredible to me that its my first and only work of art to date.

USA Clown Flag

Alexis Figueroa

2025

silkscreen on paper

11" x 17"

edition of 40

printed by La Serigrafica

Available $40

El Filosofo del Rap print by Francis Fernandez

Because all work and no play made Jack a dull boy, we sometimes like to have fun and do stuff that is not so serious and we can just lean back and laugh out loud. 

Although this is a Trailer Park Proyects commissioned print, it is not part of the fine art prints series we have been producing since we started. 

As a big Vico-C fan who grew up listening to his music and having every single album he has ever released, I decided to brainstorm with my friend Francis Fernandez to make an artwork to honor him. We came up with this print idea of adding Vico-C marble bust to the group of busts of all great philosophers throughout the history of the world. 

Vico-C is know as el filosofo del rap because of his deep conscience lyrics and his longevity as an artist staying relevant and at the top of the game even in his 50s. He still is regarded as one of the best by everyone and he is not just a top rapper he is a legendary icon who help start the rap and reggaeton genre which has become a world wide phenomenon.

Vico whom is currently living in Orlando, FL has had a rough life and he became a teen artist for his ability to rap and create a unique sound that was appealing to the masses and the younger crowd. He became sensation with his underground tapes with songs like El Vikingo, Estaba en Coma, Soy de la Calle and other that help him get a record deal with Prime Records along with DJ Negro as his producer and DJ. When they released La Recta Final back in the mid 80s when I was in grade school it became huge hit making him a superstar. Along with Brewley MC, Ruben DJ, Lisa M, Wilfred y la ganga and others they paved the way for what we know as Reggaeton.

Hailing from Las Acacias in Puerta De Tierra, Luis Armando Lozada grew up in a low income housing project where he befriended and grew up with people in need and doing anything they could to survive which sometimes was not the best paths to follow. As a kid being a kid with peer pressure all around him he succumbed to drugs and became an addict which led to some legal problems and also some criminal activity. He had an accident that led him down a downward spiral of drug abuse and alcoholism from which he recovered and is still sober to this day.

He became a born again evangelical Christian and retired for a short period of time to compose his life and prioritizing in his wife Sonia and his children. In 1999 he returned to the music with an album titled Aquel que habia muerto, which shaked the rap/reggaeton scene in Puerto Rico. As usual his work is always pushing for equality and of social problems that help us understand how society works in favor of a little and against most of us. 

I am grateful for Vico and proud to be a fan, although I don't really love sacra music, he is my exception because he has always been preaching about social equality and teaching us about life. Sometimes I have issues because after all he did, now he is judging lifestyles and saying no one else should do what he did or go through that. I feel it's everyone chooses the path they follow and learn from that just like he did. Still his believes never betrayed his raw style and the religious push is minimum in his music just a mention here and there and his delivery and word managing didn't suffer at all. 

Vico is an example of perseverance and talent that was helped and guided even when he had hit rock bottom. He is an example that everyone needs mentors to help them in life and guide them become the best version of themselves. 

El Filosofo del Rap

Francis Fernandez

Limited edition silkscreen print

11" x 17"

Edition of 40

Signed in the plate

Printerd by La Serigrafica 

We will try to produce more of these 11" x 17" silkscreen print in the future and put out there some fun art for everyone to enjoy at an affordable price of $40.

Jumboldt Jibaro by Crayon Papi at 2534 W. Division St. pop-up show for Puerto Rican Parade in Chicago

Part of my job as a director of an art project is to find creative ways to exhibit and promote the younger artists to new and different audiences so they can all have the opportunity to consume art in their daily environment. 

The week before the Puerto Rican Parade in Humboldt Park in Chicago, I saw an empty building in the hood and I asked around what was the deal with that building. They told me the had rented it out but the lease began on June 16th. The parade was set to be June 13-15. So I asked for permission to do a pop-up exhibition because the building that is spotted in a premium corner had an all windows display around the whole building front. 

I asked around and talked to the owners and explained we were going to have a week long art exhibition with the artwork looking outwards towards the street so people in the parade could enjoy some art while waiting for the parade to start. They thought it was a creative way to expose kids and families that don't consume art to expose them to it and so Jumboldt Jibarito was set to go. 

Called Crayon Papi whom I know has a lot of work always ready to go and has a lets do this thing spirit and he said yes from the get go, fortunately at the time of the approval, I was in Puerto Rico and went to his studio, selected the drawings and brought them with me to Chicago. Arrived on June 7th, put the show up in one day and we were ready for the opening on the 9th. 

Called my best friend and graphic designer Jesus Chu Diaz and told him I needed a flyer in one day, sent him photos of the artwork and he created the cool looking flyer you see here. 

Not everything is about sales, for me most times if not all is about the art. This was an exhibition for the people with no intention of selling as the spaced had to be closed. We had fun doing this with the from today for tomorrow pressure it is always refreshing, like when you start out in the art world a DIY effort. 

The exhibition was up for a week and hundreds of families and kids of all ages got to enjoy some artwork without really understanding why it was there?, what it meant? or how did it got there? Was really awesome taking some pics and see the kids enjoying the work as they are created with Crayons in a naive style so kids would really feel a connection. 

Here are some pics of the exhibition and some of the works exhibited:

Rafael Miranda Mattei presenta - Grabaciones para un pais de memoria corta: Tracking Issues en El Schomburg

El pasado 15 de Agosto de 2025 el artista Rafael Miranda Mattei presento su muestra individual titulada Grabaciones para un pais de memoria corta: Tracking Issues en la Galeria El Schomburg en Chicago. Esta es una version agrandada del solo show que el artista presento en la Galeria KM0.2 en San Juan, PR a fines del 2024. 

La muestra presenta una coleccion de 9 impresiones digitales de unas caratulas de VHS con diferentes eventos historicos del pop y culturales de Puerto Rico, eventos que en la Isla fueron eventos de suma importancia y marcaron generaciones por el impacto visual y emocional que tuvieron cuando ocurrieron. En adicion cuenta con unos dibujos en gouche de la secuencia de la caida de Karl Wallenda.  Otra pieza que llamo mucho la atencion fueron las esculturas de los CD a una escala mayor hablando de los medios descartados y como marcaron la generacion de los 80 cuando tenias que crear mix tape CD para crear tu playlist.

Entre otras de las piezas se encuentra una escultura de color arcoiris creada con cassettes VHS descartados y 2 videos, uno contextual relacionado a los prints exhibidos y un video arte titulado Good Mourning que muestra en loop el video de buenos dias con el que los canales de television comenzaban operaciones de programacion. Este muestra un jibaron con un nino y en le trasfondo un helicoptero volando sobre el cielo con el sol de background. A su vez el himno de Puerto Rico con delay sonando lento y desafinado referenciando al progreso de nuestra sociedad.

Con un texto cuaratorial del Abdiel Segarra en ingles y espanol que ayudo a los diasporicans y a los americanos a entender la exhibicion ycrear una conversacion social, politica y economica de nuestro pais y el abuso y opresion constante del gobierno local y americano contra su gente.

La recepcion fue tremenda y llegaron muchos grupos de estudiantes de diferentes universidades para ver la muestra. La critica de arte Susan Gescheidle escribio una resena de 4 paginas para la revista mas importante de arte de Chicago llamada Chicago Gallery News tambien se publico un articulo en el periodico La Voz del Pueblo de Chicago. 

Esta ha sido una de las muestras mas completas que he tenido el gusto de presentar con Trailer Park Proyects y la segunda muestra individual del artista con Trailer Park Proyects en Chicago.

Puerto Rican Women in Arts in Puerto Rico at la Liga de Arte de San Juan

After a few curators, artists, museum directors and art lover in general asked me over and over if the exhibition would be shown un Puerto Rico, Eduardo Cabrer a good friend and artists convinced me of the importance of this specific show to be exhibited in Puerto Rico. I was a bit skeptical at first because the amount of labor and hours I have put into this exhibit was so much that I was burnt out emotionally. 

When it started out I was really inviting around 20 artists but the idea grew and the expectations grew exponentially. It turned out to become this monster unprecedented show of 200 artists.

I said yes so we were on our way to Puerto Rico to set up at la Liga de Arte de San Juan which is a very important institution and a venue where not many people get to show or work during their lifetimes. I said yes because Eduardo is a very hard worker and offered his help setting up the show which is not an easy task and the main reason I was avoiding showing this elsewhere.

After talking to La Liga director Marilu Carrasquillo whom by the way is one of the nicest human beings alive, I was comfortable to do this along with their back up. A lot of the artists in the show offered and helped with the set up which was an amazing way to get to know them beyond a piece of art. The level of happiness they had and how excited was really healing for me and I re-understood the necessity of this show being at La Liga. 

Opening was set for June 5th, 2025 at 7:00pm. Calling it the biggest success ever as an exhibition coordinator is an understatement, it was the most attended event in the history of la  Liga de Arte since it opened back in 1968. Hundreds of hundreds of art lovers and collectors lined up to come in to see the show, week after week for the whole month it was up. At the end of the run, the administration of La Liga de Arte told me it has been the most viewed exhibition ever.

The limited edition print was designed by Jesus Chu Diaz and La Serigrafica was in charge of the silkscreen printing. Editions were printed for both Chicago and the Puerto Rico shows. We also printed a 32 page catalogue designed by Jesus Chu Diaz, the catalogue also includes 5 curatorial essays by Brenda Torres, Mariel Quinones, Alexis Figueroa, Raquel Torres Arzola and writer Anjanette Delgado. 

We had great press coverage with newspaper articles in La Voz del Pueblo in Chicago, El Nuevo Dia, El Vocero and Latin American Art Magazine with a TV segment in Teleonce News (June 5th) talking about the show and its importance. 

I'm very proud to have done this exhibition and know all were happy with the final show we put out there for the enjoyment of the people and that's another big step for the female artists which have been overseen for so many decades.