Experiencing Paradise
In this series, I focus on the representation of modern, iconic Puerto Rican hotels, now abandoned, set within imagined coastal environments.
By portraying these once-celebrated structures in ruins, exposed to the sea and erosion, I reflect on the exoticized image of the Caribbean as a tourist destination. This contrast highlights Puerto Rico’s deep dependency on the tourism industry and the visitor economy, exposing the gap between the idealized vision of a tropical paradise and the complex reality we live in.
My paintings are built with dense layers of paint and beeswax, intentionally distorting the original appearance of the architecture. This transformation creates new spaces, ones overtaken by ecological processes of succession and decay.
At the heart of this work is the tension between exuberant tropical flora and the crumbling remains of human intervention. Through this dystopic reinterpretation of these once-iconic hotels, I aim to present a forewarning, a visual omen, of the landscapes that may lie ahead.
Experience Paradise: Hotel La Concha, San Juan, PR, 2023, oil, beeswax, gold pigment, veneer on canvas, 72" x 48", private collection.
Experience Paradise: Hotel La Concha, San Juan, PR, 2023, oil, beeswax, gold pigment, veneer on canvas, 72" x 48", private collection. [Detail]
Experience Paradise: Hotel La Concha, San Juan, PR, 2023, oil, beeswax, gold pigment, veneer on canvas, 72" x 48", private collection. [Detail]
Experience Paradise: Hotel El Conquistador, Fajardo, PR, 2023, oil, beeswax, gold pigment, veneer on canvas, 72" x 48", private collection.
Experience Paradise: Hotel El Intercontinental, Ponce, PR, 2023, oil, beeswax, gold pigment, veneer on canvas, 72" x 48", private collection.