no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria

Nov 23, 2022–Apr 23, 2023

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Ecology and Landscape

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The environmental impact of Hurricane Maria cannot be overstated. The high winds and torrential rains dramatically transformed the landscape and altered the ecosystem. Many survivors remember waking up to a land stripped bare of its vegetation. In the face of so much damage, artists have responded by documenting the environment in ways that both honor the land and draw attention to its vulnerable state. Dynamic and multivalent views of the Puerto Rican landscape, often seen through the lens of memory, defy facile representations of this Caribbean nation.

  • A green leaf with a sketch that resembles wasps flying and feeding on a fruit spike.
    A green leaf with a sketch that resembles wasps flying and feeding on a fruit spike.

    Javier Orfón, Avispas (Wasp), detail of Bientevéo (Iseeyouwell), 2018–22. Inkjet print. Collection of the artist; courtesy Hidrante, San Juan.

  • Thread embroidered on cloth to show planes and a face peering up at them.
    Thread embroidered on cloth to show planes and a face peering up at them.

    Lulu Varona, Ir y venir (Come and Go), 2021. Cotton thread embroidered on cotton cloth, 25 × 37 in. (63.5 × 94 cm). Private collection; courtesy the artist and Embajada, San Juan

  • Black and white image of a water tower with textures on top.
    Black and white image of a water tower with textures on top.

    Sofía Gallisá Muriente, still from Celaje, 2020. Original score by José Iván Lebrón Moreira. 16mm and Super 8 film transferred to HD video; 40:57 min. Courtesy the artist

  • Elderly woman does her hair in the mirror.
    Elderly woman does her hair in the mirror.

    Sofía Gallisá Muriente, still from Celaje, 2020. Original score by José Iván Lebrón Moreira. 16mm and Super 8 film transferred to HD video; 40:57 min. Courtesy the artist

  • Film reals with colors and textures.
    Film reals with colors and textures.

    Sofía Gallisá Muriente, still from Celaje, 2020. Original score by José Iván Lebrón Moreira. 16mm and Super 8 film transferred to HD video; 40:57 min. Courtesy the artist

  • An abstract collage of color and splatter including yellow, black, orange, and purple.
    An abstract collage of color and splatter including yellow, black, orange, and purple.

    Javier Orfón, Elegía de gongolí, 2021. Acrylic and photographic transfer on canvas, 46 × 58 in. (116.8 × 147.3 cm). Private collection. Photograph by the artist

  • Black and gray rocks float in space with a pixelated blue and yellow graphic in the background.
    Black and gray rocks float in space with a pixelated blue and yellow graphic in the background.

    Frances Gallardo, Aerosoles (Aerosols), 2021–22. Color pencil on laser-etched paper, 12 × 17 5/16 in. (30.5 × 43.9 cm). Courtesy the artist

  • Artworks in a dark gallery.
    Artworks in a dark gallery.

    Installation view of no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art In The Wake Of Hurricane Maria (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, November 23, 2022-April 23, 2023). From left to right: Sofía Gallisá Muriente, Celaje (Cloudscape), 2020; Candida Alvarez, Jellow (Yellow), 2018; Candida Alvarez, Here to There, 2018; Lulu Varona, Mapa (Map), 2020; Lulu Varona, Ir y venir (Come and Go), 2021. Photograph by Ron Amstutz

Artists

Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection

View 13 works

On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whathappensontheship.space/artport

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