Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada
Encyclopedia
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada is a Cuba
n-American
contemporary art
ist. He was born in Cuba and grew up in the United States. He became a founding member of the culture jamming
movement in New York City
in the early 1990s, first with the group Artfux and later with the group Cicada Corps of Artists. Rodriguez-Gerada was first brought to international attention with the book No Logo by Naomi Klein
. International attention has been given to the Identity interventions which he has been creating since 2002.
. While in college, he became aware of the power of art and its ability to impact the community.
Rodriguez-Gerada's art career started in the early 90's when he became a founder of the culture jamming movement in New York City as a member of the art groups Artfux and Cicada Corps of Artists.
Rodriguez-Gerada was first brought to international attention with the book No Logo by Naomi Klein. "In the chapter dedicated to 'Culture Jamming' she reviews some of the major exponents of this direction. Among them, the Canadian journalist focuses on the work carried out by the North American artist of Cuban origin Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, entailing direct interventions on billboards and street signs. She states "Rodriguez de Gerada is widely recognized as one of the most skilled and creative founders of culture jamming, the practice of parodying advertisements and hijacking billboards in order to drastically alter their messages” Culture Jamming: Ads Under attack, Brandweek
“My idea is to show that we should all be seen with dignity. I believe that our identity should come from within not from the brands that we wear. We should question who chooses our cultural icons and role models, our values and aesthetics. We are living in a time were corporate manipulation has become very refined and effective. “Terrorist” manipulation has at its base the premise of the individual being considered dispensable in order to change the thinking of the larger group. By giving importance to one anonymous life I want to give importance to empathy.”
The charcoal medium, in this case is chosen specifically as a metaphor for how ephemeral and fragil identity can be. After days of labor the charcoal fades with the weather, slowly returning the site to its original state. The Icon fades in the elements leaving only a memory.
EXPECTATION is a large ephemeral sand painting portraying the likeness of Barack Obama, that was created in the Spanish city of Barcelona, Spain. On November 3, the day before the US elections, the Expectation project was presented at a press conference in Barcelona, Spain: a 2.5 acre (one hectare) sand painting of Barack Obama made with 650 tons of sand and gravel. Given its location and scale, the project was meant as a reflection of the global impact of that election. It was created using a vector graphic and approximately 650 tons of sand.
People from all walks of life came together to make Expectation a reality. They struggled against a tight production schedule, zero budget and four consecutive days of torrential rain. In spite of all the difficulties, the Expectation project struck a chord throughout the world, thanks to the huge amount of international media coverage (CNN, Reuters, AP, etc.).
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
ist. He was born in Cuba and grew up in the United States. He became a founding member of the culture jamming
Culture jamming
Culture jamming, coined in 1984, denotes a tactic used by many anti-consumerist social movements to disrupt or subvert mainstream cultural institutions, including corporate advertising. Guerrilla semiotics and night discourse are sometimes used synonymously with the term culture jamming.Culture...
movement in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the early 1990s, first with the group Artfux and later with the group Cicada Corps of Artists. Rodriguez-Gerada was first brought to international attention with the book No Logo by Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
. International attention has been given to the Identity interventions which he has been creating since 2002.
Early years
Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada immigrated with his family to the US in 1970 and relocated to North Plainfield, New JerseyNorth Plainfield, New Jersey
North Plainfield is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 21,936....
. While in college, he became aware of the power of art and its ability to impact the community.
Rodriguez-Gerada's art career started in the early 90's when he became a founder of the culture jamming movement in New York City as a member of the art groups Artfux and Cicada Corps of Artists.
Culture Jamming
Artfux was a group of who described themselves as a “guerilla art group". They would illegally alter or replace a tobacco or alcohol ad with a new statement and image that spoke about the negative effects of these products. They were active during 1989-1992 in New York City. During these years Rodriguez-Gerada altered countless billboards, undertook guerrilla performances that called the attention of the media for their audacity. Other than altering the messages on the billboards of advertisement, he would also manipulate street signs to give them a different meaning and raise awareness. All of these activities were focused in and around the New York City area. When realizing that the media was very interested in what they were doing, they decided to focus on the disproportionately high amount of damaging products (get drunk quick beverages and menthol cigarette brands) being advertised in poor and minority areas in the Tri State area. The billboard alterations from this time are among his favorites because there was a very clear goal and plan of action. They would illegally alter or replace a tobacco or alcohol ad with a new statement and image that spoke about the negative effects of these products. Afterwards they would send out press releases with photos of their exploits. They received a massive amount of attention from the media. Most of the time the media would either print the press releases directly or send a reporter. After the breakup of Artfux, Rodriguez Gerada continued his direction with the culture jamming group Cicada Corps of Artists.Rodriguez-Gerada was first brought to international attention with the book No Logo by Naomi Klein. "In the chapter dedicated to 'Culture Jamming' she reviews some of the major exponents of this direction. Among them, the Canadian journalist focuses on the work carried out by the North American artist of Cuban origin Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, entailing direct interventions on billboards and street signs. She states "Rodriguez de Gerada is widely recognized as one of the most skilled and creative founders of culture jamming, the practice of parodying advertisements and hijacking billboards in order to drastically alter their messages” Culture Jamming: Ads Under attack, Brandweek
The Identity Series
The Identity Series began in Spain in 2002. Gigantic charcoal portraits of anonymous people that scale the walls of buildings in different cities. These drawings question the controls imposed on public space, the role models that represent us and the type of events that are guarded by the collective memory. The blending of the charcoal and the wall surface with the wind, rain or the sudden destruction of the wall is ultimately the most important part of the process. The intent is to have identity, place and memory become one.“My idea is to show that we should all be seen with dignity. I believe that our identity should come from within not from the brands that we wear. We should question who chooses our cultural icons and role models, our values and aesthetics. We are living in a time were corporate manipulation has become very refined and effective. “Terrorist” manipulation has at its base the premise of the individual being considered dispensable in order to change the thinking of the larger group. By giving importance to one anonymous life I want to give importance to empathy.”
The charcoal medium, in this case is chosen specifically as a metaphor for how ephemeral and fragil identity can be. After days of labor the charcoal fades with the weather, slowly returning the site to its original state. The Icon fades in the elements leaving only a memory.
Terrestrial Series
Rodriguez-Gerada has always been fascinated by aerial photography and land art. With the advent of Google Earth and Google Maps he decided to begin working at a scale large enough to allow his images to be seen from space. His first project to utilize this direction was “Expectation”EXPECTATION is a large ephemeral sand painting portraying the likeness of Barack Obama, that was created in the Spanish city of Barcelona, Spain. On November 3, the day before the US elections, the Expectation project was presented at a press conference in Barcelona, Spain: a 2.5 acre (one hectare) sand painting of Barack Obama made with 650 tons of sand and gravel. Given its location and scale, the project was meant as a reflection of the global impact of that election. It was created using a vector graphic and approximately 650 tons of sand.
People from all walks of life came together to make Expectation a reality. They struggled against a tight production schedule, zero budget and four consecutive days of torrential rain. In spite of all the difficulties, the Expectation project struck a chord throughout the world, thanks to the huge amount of international media coverage (CNN, Reuters, AP, etc.).