JOSE DE JESUS RODRIGUEZ
Born 1991, Salinas, CA
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY

Jose de Jesus Rodriguez’s paintings place family photos, Catholic imagery, and Chicanx iconography into surreal but convincing landscapes that examine how personal narratives are created and challenge identity politics, otherness, and oversimplified and singular definitions of identity, especially visual identity. His vivid colors and complex compositions suggest the lucid strangeness of memories and dreams that further complicate the ways in which we write and rewrite our personal stories. Combining a culturally Mexican upbringing in the private sphere, and his experiences assimilating to American culture in public, Rodriguez unpacks the visual tropes he associates with his experience as a Chicanx in the US, creating a dialogue that explores historical and cultural filters and the power of re-contextualizing iconography to open up new potentials.