RicanVisions: Global Ancestralities and Embodied Futures

Rejecting rigid definitions of Puerto Rican identities, {{I:RicanVisions: Global Ancestralities and Embodied Futures }}showcases the richness of contemporary Diasporican art. By elevating voices that have been historically marginalized, the exhibition creates a platform for artists to break free from conventional iconographies and narratives. It unites artists across generations—each innovating visually and thematically—contributing to the ever-evolving Diasporican canon.

Encompassing five decades, RicanVisions showcases the artistic range of nineteen artists with works made from the 1980s to the present day. Rather than providing a comprehensive survey, this exhibition captures key moments of artistic development and creative practice, intertwining historical narratives with forward-looking visions that challenge the boundaries of identity and expression.

RicanVisions challenges viewers to rethink both the historical frameworks of Puerto Rican art and its future trajectories. Some artists explore themes of migration, identity, gender, race, religion amongst other intersectional heritages. They draw on personal narratives and memory to complicate both the archive and dominant histories of Diasporican life. Other artists envision alternative worldviews and landscapes through works that convey joy, liberation, ecological and bodily freedoms.

Altogether, their innovative and provocative works challenge and expand our understanding of the Puerto Rican experience and the diverse aesthetics and mediums through which contemporary artists are imagining new possibilities in making. In curating this exhibition with living artists, RicanVisions underscores the immediacy and relevance of their work—dynamic and vibrant. It celebrates the power of art to redefine our past, inform our present, and envision our future.

Artists featured in the exhibition are Manuel Acevedo, Armando Alleyne, Nayda Collazo-Llorens, Vyczie Dorado, Orlando Estrada, Marina Gutierrez, Lee Jiménez, Juanita Lanzo, Miguel Enrique Lastra, Evelyn López de Guzmán, Jacoub Reyes, David Rios Ferreira, Shey ‘Rí Acu’ Rivera Ríos, Keysha Rivera, Jorge Luis Rodríguez, G. Rosa-Rey, Angelina Ruiz, Tamara Torres, and Isaac Vazquez. Curated by Ana-Hilda Figueroa de Jesús, Andrea Sofia Matos and Xavier Robles Armas.

The exhibition coincides with the publication of the forthcoming book Nuyorican and Diasporican Visual Art: A Critical Anthology (Duke University Press, January 2025) edited by Arlene Dávila and Yasmin Ramirez. More information on the book and its contributors can be found here. RicanVisions is free and open to the public. Visiting hours are Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 5pm, at 20 Cooper Square (1st and 3rd floor galleries). Please check in at the 1st Floor Gallery for visitor access. Please email us at Please find more information here.