José Luis Vargas

Painter and performance artist José Luis Vargas depicts figures reflective of the Caribbean in works that contain humor, supernatural elements, cultural mythology, and symbols of his native Puerto Rico. Works such as No lo hagas (Don’t do it) (2014) incorporate a playfulness through the inclusion of comic strip speech bubbles. In other pieces, he incorporates local supernatural ideology to preserve the myths and serve as a platform for viewers to contemplate their assumptions. Many of the artist’s works focus on the admiration and revision of Haitian street paintings collected by tourists that contrast with the country’s turmoil while also injecting his own commentary on colonialism in Puerto Rico. Vargas earned a BFA at the Pratt Institute and an MFA from the Royal College of Arts. He also studied at the Art Students League in Old San Juan and Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. His work is in the collections of the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, and the Royal College of Art.