Figure 5
Pepón Osorio
b. 1955, Santurce, Puerto Rico
Angel: The Shoe Shiner
1993, Painted wood, rubber, fabric, glass, ceramic, shells, painted cast iron, two video monitors, two color videotapes, hand-tinted photographs, paper, and mirror; overall dimensions variable
Pepón Osorio is a multimedia artist whose work is grounded in pooular Latino culture. His pieces evoke a narrative quality through his use of personal mementos that transform ordinary objects into spectacuar and meaningful relics and rituals.
Angel: The Shoe Shiner pays homage to a blue-collar worker whom Osorio met in Manhattan. The large throne is decorated with miniature plastic shoes and other trinkets, while two video monitors show Angel at work. Osorio constructs an elaborate multimedia altar that depicts a unique and reverent life-size portrait of Angel. Angel is an exuberant, yet serious and complex tribute, which addresses issues of class and race.
–Beth Venn and Cathy Kimball
Photograph: ©1998, Whitney Museum of American Art
Artwork © Pepón Osorio.