Pepón Osorio

Pepón Osorio always does everything subversive and differently. He embraced contradiction as things can coexist with different emotions and the human body. Celebrations for them became disastrous with the right of way and a passage of growing up.

In the barber shop, he connects to the universe, and pays homage to his father, and namely the African descent. He comes from a working class family, so being an artist was not an option, but rather as a hobby. He was originally working as a social worker, as he would always like two or more routes that he could go down, in case one of them fell through. Therefore, the other one would help him survive.

By using installation, Osorio is able to say something that is beyond the wall and create a space that is overpowering. He creates an-aesthetically calculated interventions. Spaces can then become uncomfortable, but also sacred. Within these installations, you must stand outside of the scene, making you reflect, as if there is a mirror in front of you.

Osorio visits different cities, towns and countries in order to collect more information, also making the installations more personal. He loves for people to come out and think about who they are and where they stand in reflection to what they have seen. Providing change, both physically and spiritually, is something that Osorio wishes to achieve.

Home visits are also a part of his practice, which are loosely tied in to religious visits that he would get as a child. This is done, however with contemporary art, to gain a sense of renewal and finding a new way to create and think about the artworks. Not only the ones that go on tour, but also the ones that he creates outside of this time.

He always felt as though there was a missing piece in his life. When Osorio arrived in New York with a lack of good English, which gave the feeling of displacement. As an artist, he took this and embraced it into his work. He found that there are always people who feel the same.

I enjoy the reasoning behind Osorio’s installation, and the way in which he wants to make people feel uncomfortable and reflect. This very much reminds me of some artworks containing the male gaze and the way in which it can judge you, rather than you judge it.