Radamés 'Juni' Figueroa: Pinoñes Mon Amour

Taymour Grahne Projects is pleased to present 'Piñones Mon Amour', an online solo show by Radamés 'Juni' Figueroa, launching virtually on September 10, 2020. Born in Puerto Rico in 1982, Radamés 'Juni' Figueroa's practice spans media including painting, sculpture and installation. Through his sharp sense of humour, and the recurrent markers– climate, flora, fauna, clothing and canteens – Figueroa meditates on what it means to exist in, and from, Puerto Rico. Often autobiographical and filled with personal references, Figueroa’s practice is shaped by the idea of life lived in the tropics.

The notion of the tropical is not only a visual reference, but a tool through which to explore personal identity, and to subvert Western Art History and cultural stereotypes. For his exhibition 'Piñones Mon Amour', Figueroa draws inspiration from the many kiosks which line Piñones, one of his favourite beaches in Puerto Rico. These kiosks sell an eclectic mix of goods and products, varying from traditional food, seasonal fruits, coconut water, juices, beer, water, sodas, and alcohol, to beach towels and bathing suits. Random knick-knacks can often be found with hand-painted signs that depict murals of the actual products being sold on the kiosk walls.

Figueroa’s longing of beaches and Puerto Rican beach culture has been especially pronounced whilst spending the last three months in upstate New York, a visual stimulation which helped create his latest body of work. In this exhibition, paintings are stretched across wooden boards in the shapes of coconuts, whilst others pair text-based references to the beach signs of Piñones. Figueroa thinks of these paintings, on canvas and towels, as intervened fabrics, as his actions have modified the original materiality of the textile.