Pepón Osorio
Artist
Born: Santurce, Puerto Rico

Pepón Osorio began exploring conceptual art through social work, community activism, painting, and stage design. Mixing aspects of his Puerto Rican and New York experiences, his work emphasizes social justice, cultural history, and identity.

“My heart is where humanity is. I've always been very curious about how people live, how they experience life.”

Osorio, who has lived in New York City since 1975, uses his experiences as a social worker to lay the groundwork for his collaborative efforts with the Puerto Rican community and activist organizations. He works across disciplines, incorporating into his elaborate installations inanimate objects from daily life, photography, silkscreen, video, and sound.

“I make it a point to show my work first in the local neighborhoods that inspired it. Motivated by my love for my community, I use community space and personal space to present the daily life of my people.”

Pepón Osorio, artist. Photograph by Héctor Méndez-Caratini, taken at the Osorio installation, I have a story to tell you..., Congreso de Latinos Unidos courtyard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Using mass-produced ornaments in his exploration of stereotypes and cultural identities, Osorio challenges traditional aesthetics by creating new definitions of beauty. His mixed-media installations reflect the Latino working-class sensibility of “making do with what you have.”

“I knew early in life I was not interested in making money, but in helping others. Perhaps my most important contribution is my take on art, born out of collaboration. Nobody gets there on their own. People get there because they're helped by others.”