Amuleto, 2020, Juan Alberto Negroni
Acrylic on Canvas
10in x 8in
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Items Series:
"This group pf paintings called "Items" consolidate past bodies of work in which I approach subjects as my Puerto Rican identity and the different context in which my work has been produced and shown, family household environments like the domestic garden and unremarkable casual still lifes."
My work encircles the details of myself growing in a mid-lower class family. Going out or traveling was not an option for us since my father's income was the only money we had. My mom was in charge of the house, me and my siblings. So they made sure our house was a nice place to coexist and a peaceful place where we could enjoy and live in as much harmony as we could. Everything had to be shared...Spaces and corners inside the house acquired special importance and had become more and more meaningful with time. This is something I started understanding when I moved to my own place.
As we learned to cherish every object, me, as a creative child understood the value of each one of these items, its shape and its placing in the house. I explore my identity as a brother, as a son, as a Puerto Rican and so on by remembering and paying homage to the place I grew up in.
In Puerto Rico's / Caribbean's weather, cross ventilation is super important, especially in small homes. The Miami window place an important role in our everyday life. It wasn't only for ventilation, it helped with hanging the clothes to dry and it was also a communication system between neighbors. We would have a conversation, we would trade toys or share yesterdays leftovers.
In my work, even when abstract, there are glimpses of corners, table tops, vases, glassware, Miami windows amongst other household elements. Also we can see maps and birds eye views pieces of land, islands... My work sometimes puts the viewer as far as possible from the garden while in other instances place them inside it.