Diago’s interest in rewriting history to address race is a common thread in his work. He often uses reclaimed materials and found objects to underscore that history is always a process of assembly and reassembly; it is always PRESENT and in process of becoming. More specifically, he shows how the legacies of enslavement and resistance to it remain embedded in the contemporary world.
Foraged Materials, Assembled Histories exhibition dates: April through June 2024
Juan Roberto Diago (Cuban, b. 1971), De la serie Libertad (From the Freedom series), 2022, Reclaimed wood and wire, Loan courtesy of the artist
Juan Roberto Diago (Cuban, b. 1971), S-T, 2023, Serigraph, Loan courtesy of the artist
This exhibition was developed in conjunction with Afro-Cuban Legacies, an international, interdisciplinary conference examining Afro-Cuban expressive cultures since the 1960s, and was curated by Dr. Kristin Schwain, Professor of Art History, University of Missouri.
The exhibition was made possible by Diago’s Studio, with public support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and additional support from Museum Associates, Inc.