Cuban American artist Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada recently completed a mural in Madrid (Spain) titled ‘Byte the Candy’. It’s the first piece created by Gerada which brings his terrestrial land art style to the wall, creating a perfect union of the two aesthetics. The project was curated by Urvanity.
In a press release Jorge said: “In 1984, Neil Postman gave a talk about how we are Amusing Ourselves to Death. He criticized how the news we see on television is entertainment, there only to maintain our attention in order to sell advertisement time instead of trying to make us think. Today, we are living something beyond what Neil Postman was warning us about, social media platforms, with a system of algorithms that have no conscience or mercy. These algorithms work incessantly to keep our constant attention to see advertising and propaganda, and in that way become more efficient with the use of personal data, achieving the ability to target advertising that coincides exactly with the profile of interests of each user. Orwell, Huxley and Postman are rolling in their graves, raising their voices from the past when all of this was just a macabre idea, while the artists of the 21st century are complicit, do not denounce or give alternatives.”
“In this portrait I incorporate the on button symbol that is ubiquitous in our technological reality, on the portrait of young beauty, to create a visual dialogue and invite contemplation about the possible narratives that the piece may have and how the spectators might see themselves reflected within it.”
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada is a Cuban American contemporary artist based in Barcelona Spain. He was a founder of the New York City Culture Jamming movement and is an innovator in the international urban art scene. Since the late 90´s he has been replacing the faces of cultural icons chosen by advertisers with the faces of anonymous people to question the controls imposed on public space, the role models that are designated to represent us and the type of events that deserve more public discourse. Rodriguez-Gerada´s unique direction was first mentioned in Naomi Klein’s book No Logo and was a precursor of the use of anonymous portraits now common in street art. His spectacular interventions are created for the sake of bringing awareness to relevant social issues. His large scale time based land art works avoid negative impact on the environment, challenge the conformity in contemporary art and allow for a reflection that goes beyond the completion of the piece to focus on its concept, process, and the metaphor that comes forth because of the material chosen.
He has created large scale murals and land art works around the world in locations such as the United States, Morocco, Lebanon, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Argentina, France, The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Spain, etc. Among his other projects are the smaller-format pieces for gallery exhibitions such as the ‘Fragment Series’, ‘Urban Analogies Series,’ and the ‘Memorylythics series.’ Gerada has also collaborated in many cultural projects and exhibitions around the world. Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada has his own singular space in urban art. From his arrival in the nineties with Culture Jamming to his Terrestrial Series, his has been a ‘lateral’ road, branded by his constant going against the flow. His work hasn’t left behind the classical arguments of the urban art practice, but he has moved into a calmer and more reflective space.
Images by Fer Alcalá
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