This year’s Borimix visual art exhibition, Stone Yucayeque/ El Yucayeque de Piedra, addresses the capital city of Puerto Rico, San Juan and the 500 year (1521/22 – 2021) anniversary of its foundation.

At the start of the encounter which devastated innumerable indigenous civilizations throughout the Americas to establish a large European overseas colony, the Antillean archipelago -the Taíno and Caribe homestead- was precocious. The Spanish Caribbean that remains began to take shape in the 1500s. In 1508 Juan Ponce de León establishes La Villa de Caparra in the island of Boriquén and by 1521 the Spanish abandon Caparra to “privilege” a small islet off the Northern coast of Puerto Rico as their permanent base: San Juan de Puerto Rico. From then on Puerto Rico is the site of a duality that endures: the Island and the islet, the native civilization and the invaders, mud floors and cobblestones, the country (nature) and the city (urbanism). “Stone Yucayeque” aspires to reflect on how San Juan was erected on the islet, the evolution of its iconicity throughout these past 5 centuries of representations while it also seeks to honor the indigenous (naborias) under and the stolen Africans, the “entrusted” and the enslaved, anonymous laborers all, responsible for carrying out the construction of a new Spanish city.

About BORIMIX:

Originated in 2005 by Sociedad Educativa de las Artes, Inc. (Teatro SEA) and its Founder/Director Manuel Morán and The Clemente resident visual artist Miguel Trelles, BORIMIX Puerto Rico Fest has become the signature Puerto Rican Heritage Month event at The Clemente.  The yearly visual art exhibits that have accompanied previous festivals and continue to this day are not only a key showcase for Puerto Rican visual artists in New York but also an inclusive platform for Caribbean, Latin American and a diverse contingent of participating artists from New York and all over the world.  Throughout past Borimixes guest curators have reflected on and enhanced the collaborative ethos of the visual arts component as manifested by exhibits such as BoriCuba, Borinqueya, BoriMex, BoriColombia, BoriEcuador, and BoriAyiti.  Currently this unique Festival is co-produced by The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center, and its resident Latinx theaters,  Teatro SEA, and Teatro LATEA.

Read more about the exhibit here