Over the past several decades, Puerto Rican artists have been making their mark on the global art stage. The late Félix González-Torres, Cuban-born but a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, represented the United States at the 2007 Venice Biennale. Other celebrated artists include Raphael Ferrer, Arnaldo Morales, María de Mater O’Neill, Rosa Irigoyen, Arnaldo Roche, Pepón Osorio, Ana Rosa Rivera Marrero, and Néstor Otero. Stylistic eclecticism has been growing in Puerto Rico since the ’90s, as artists, responding to globalization, have re-examined their roots and shifted away from a search for identity (a prominent theme in the ’80s, especially among painters) toward a pluralistic mindset evident in process art, installation, conceptual art, mixed media, and new technologies. Today, no single ideology dominates, despite the artists’ knowledge of Continental aesthetics and a shared Caribbean heritage. This transformation from an essentialist vision stems perhaps from worldwide interconnectivity, as new galleries open and artists travel to other countries, participate in biennials and fairs, and engage in a global discourse.
