Juan Betancurth

Juan Betancurth’s practice is about blurring boundaries, between subjects and mediums alike; his work explores dreams, memory, and the present day through sculpture, installation, performance, and combinations thereof. He is especially interested in themes of family tradition, power, and submission, in particular as they relate to his personal experiences. To explore these ideas, Betancurth crafts meticulous, immersive installations, filled with sculptures and props that set the stage for his intimate performances of witchcraft, daily routines, poetry, and religious rituals. Site-specificity is an important concern in many of his works, as in Dirty Looks: On Location, a video streamed in a booth at a gay sex shop in Manhattan, or Sketchy Walk at the New Museum, for which the artist reconstructed the gay cruising milieu that once characterized the Museum’s Bowery location. As personal and ambiguous as many of his works are, Betancurth hopes that they encourage creativity in each viewer, creating a fleeting moment and space for community.