Arnaldo Roche-Rabell: The Uncommonwealth

Arnaldo Roche-Rabell's uncommonwealth is Puerto Rico, a region and a political entity mined to reveal the uncertainty of identity in our postmodern world. His overall concern in his art has been to understand himself in terms of his relationships with both Puerto Rico and the United States. His iconography is rich and complex, involving investigations of the self and its many masks, as well as family relations, biblical and mythological subjects, and the intricate political relationship between the United States and his native land.

Roche's technique of working on canvas evolved into a complex matrix incorporating aspects of drawing, painting, and printmaking. Some of his techniques connect him with Puerto Rican traditions, while others assume metaphoric overtones.