PEPÓN OSORIO

PEPÓN OSORIO was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, in 1955. He is best known for his largescale multi-media installations that combine a baroque, decorative aesthetic with politically charged commentary on Puerto Rican life in the United States. His installations, set, and costume designs have been part of numerous performance pieces, for which he received a Bessie Award in 1985. Osorio’s works usually evolve from interaction with a local community and have often included collaboration with non-art professionals, particularly youth groups. Osorio is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and a McArthur Fellowship.

Writer: Jennifer A. González is Associate Professor in History of Art and Visual Culture at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the author of a forthcoming book about race discourse in contemporary installation art.