Mapas del Cerro

San Juan, Puerto Rico - Embajada is pleased to present Mapas del Cerro, a solo exhibition of new works by APT artist Chemi Rosado – Seijo.

"Mapas del Cerro" continues Chemi Rosado-Seijo’s long-term engagement with the community of El Cerro, a rural, working-class community embedded in the mountains of Naranjito, Puerto Rico. The project was initiated in 2002 by painting the exteriors of residents’ homes different shades of green, paying homage to the way the community has been built in harmony with the topography of the mountains where it stands. Through negotiation and collaboration with community leaders, volunteers, students and residents, over 100 homes have been painted.

In 2010 Rosado-Seijo and the El Cerro community began the arduous process of repainting the homes. In preparing the surface of the walls they scratched and peeled off layers of paint from years of accumulation, which were saved and later brought into the studio to be re-examined. By framing the readymade forms that the remnants of paint created, Rosado-Seijo developed a series of works that catalogue artifacts from the project while referencing topographical maps that the paint fragments resemble.

For Los Mapas del Cerro, Rosado-Seijo continues working with the paint remnants to create forms that reference specific and broader terrains such as the island of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, the Americas, or the world. The fragments are presented as specimens, viewable from either side, revealing the residues from bygone years. Playing the role of cartographer and historian, Rosado-Seijo constructs narratives filled with political and geographic tensions while reminding us of the interconnectedness of human architecture. Framed using locally sourced wood from native palm trees, Rosado-Seijo further imbues the works with an Arcadian sensibility.