By Olivia
25th May 2019
Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada is a Cuban American artist, described as an ‘innovator in the international urban art scene.’ Rodriguez’s spectacular, large-scale mode of photo realistic street work sits harmoniously within its surrounding environment, consciously making minimal negative effect upon it, whilst commenting on current socio-political issues.
His work during the late 90s, in which he replaced faces of cultural icons on public advertisements with those of the general public, is thought to have been a precursor of the now common use of anonymous portraits in Street Art.
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada's Process
The artist uses materials that would not traditionally be thought to suit their outdoor setting- indeed the Rodriguez aims for the environment to impact upon the materials chosen to depict his subjects. Most often in charcoal, his artworks are naturally worn away over time. Whether washed away by the rain or bleached by the sun, each work is in continual flux until it eventually fades naturally back into the environment.
