Emilio Maldonado
¿Que es la que? What is happening?
I am an Artist, Arts advocate, Educator and Curator working in Philly since 2017. My practice centers in the exploration of social paradigms that have influenced perception and experience as a BIPOC individual/human. From December 2023-July 2024, I was invited to show an art installation titled “0-100” at the Philadelphia Airport and was part of a 2 person show at Inliquid, titled “Dolls, idols and ideals”, both dealing with the effects of memory and the overlook of Afro-Caribbean identities.
What do you want audiences to know about your work?
I am a tinkerer, as much of memory as I am of objects. Boriken-Quisqueya is home, I am a son, a brother, a father and a future senior citizen. This is to say that my upbringing and the realities of the human condition are at the base of my exploration of both form and narratives and I see in objects (specially discarded) an opportunity to build nuanced narratives. I strive for the display of complicated emotions, but that the reading of the piece, much as with life, exists (intentionally) in a space where multiple understandings can create trains of thoughts not intended by the artist.
What are you listening to right now?
Herobust to wake up, Derek Gripper for focus time, Jorge Drexler the rest of the day and a book: “Difficult Conversations” by Stone-Patton-Heen.