Madison Reporter

The Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison will host an exhibition titled "cuestiones caribeñas/caribbean matters: assemblage and sculpture by Pablo Delano" from August 11 to November 30. The display seeks to examine contemporary Caribbean realities through various media including appropriated photographic images, archival documents, and found objects.

Pablo Delano, a visual artist and photographer born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, employs irony and humor to challenge stereotypes and historical narratives, while celebrating the Caribbean's global influence and resistance. His work is informed by his childhood experiences in Puerto Rico during the Cold War, along with his research and travel across the Caribbean region.

Jorell Meléndez-Badillo, assistant professor of history, and Aurora Santiago Ortiz, assistant professor of gender and women’s studies at UW–Madison, curated the exhibition. They believe it will foster interdisciplinary dialogue among fields such as art history, photography, anthropology, and gender studies.

"During this time, it is especially important to center and bring forth the narratives and experiences of migrants," said Santiago Ortiz. "Recognizing our past is crucial to critically understanding our present and future."

Pablo Delano, also a professor at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, uses his memories and experiences to explore themes such as migration, tourism, labor, gender, race, and debt in the Caribbean. According to Meléndez-Badillo, Delano's work allows for personal interpretations of "this fractured, complicated and complex past."

Delano's piece, "The Museum of the Old Colony," critiques the United States’ ongoing influence in Puerto Rico by creating a fictional museum setting featuring reproductions and film footage. His work was highlighted in the 2024 Venice Biennale's "Foreigners Everywhere" exhibition.

Delano's approach draws from his experiences photographing Caribbean communities in New York and his interest in post-colonial nation-building in Trinidad and Tobago. His black-and-white photo book "In Trinidad" was published in 2008. For the past decade, he has focused on constructing installations and assemblages using appropriated imagery and objects.

“'cuestiones caribeñas/caribbean matters' emphasizes the complexity of the Caribbean’s history. It is joyous, but it is also painful and personal,” said Meléndez-Badillo.