Curatorial

Gamaliel Rodriquez: Memorias Manipuladas
The New Gallery, Feb. 18-Mar. 22, 2019

exhibition catalogue
exhibition essay by Veronica Kavass

Gamaliel Rodríguez is a visual artist based in Puerto Rico. He works with felt, acrylic and ballpoint pen to produce aerial views of artificial industrial, military, and civilian structures in Puerto Rico and US territories. Memories are manipulated into dystopian, apocalyptic drawings that imagine the collapse of global infrastructure into ruin.

“I am excited to bring the hauntingly beautiful monochromatic work of Gamaliel to Austin Peay,” states Michael Dickins, Director of The New Gallery. “I was introduced to, and instantly enamored with, Gamaliel’s work a couple of years ago when a colleague at the Crisp-Ellert Museum in St. Augustine hosted an exhibition of his work. Since approaching him regarding an exhibition in The New Gallery, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. A few months later, Gamaliel was selected to participate in a residency set up by Mass MoCA devoted to Peurto Rican artists impacted by the hurricane. The residency provided much needed time, space, financial and professional support to help artists rebuild their art practices and persue new opportunities. The work that will be prominent in this exhibition at APSU is a result of that time.”

- Michael Dickins, Gallery Director