Jorge-Rodriguez Gerada

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    “Wishing for Wings” by Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada in Catalunya, Spain

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    Contemporary artist Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada recently worked on a new mural for the GarGar festival in Penelles near Lleida in Catalunya.For the last 2 years, the artist has focused on working on lines and movement, which allows him to play with various textures and techniques. This mural is another example of the unified aesthetic that the artist has developed in the last few years. Gerada’s murals now bridge together all of the artist’s directions, including his land-art works, sculptures and paintings.Gargar Festival 2022The annual Gargar Mural and Rural Art Festival was created by Binomic.cat who wants to promote the artistic culture in the rural world, turning the village of Penelles into a reference point, engaging people in a unique project of which we can be proud. Also, it aims at energising the village and promote tourism.This year, the festival was held on 29th, 30th of April and the 1st of May 2022 in Penelles.“The festival hopes to generate resources that allow us to correct the effects of time and the deterioration of our streets, reinspiring hope in our neighbours.” – Gargar FestivalGargar Mural and Rural Art Festival was born from the need and the strong determination to add a distinguishing value to the village of Penelles. The objective is to appreciate, encourage and give visibility to street art and alternative ways of artistic expression in public rural areas.DESEANDO ALAS (WISHING FOR WINGS)The mural is situated on the side of a residential building at the entrance of the town, located on the corner of Carrer de Roques. Gerada’s mural is approximately 12m x 10m and was created using exterior latex paint.Gerada set out to create a mural that draws attention to the plight of loss of population in rural areas. A lot of Gerada’s work is rooted in the context of the location and the history of where he creates his work. The Gargar festival uses muralism to bring interest and people back to the town of Penelles without the worry of the negative aspect of gentrification, which is an evident issue in cities.The use of the hashtag symbol in the design alludes to the need for more people to see what is happening here, and in rural towns across the world. The bird in this mural is an endangered bird that is used as a symbol for this festival. Gerada gave talks to school children about street art and the world in general. Two students were able to gain credits that would go towards their art degrees, by assisting the artist and learning valuable techniques, such as use of equipment, paint mixing, preparation and process.The mural took one week to be completed.Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada is a contemporary Cuban-American artist based in Barcelona, Spain. He is internationally recognized for creating his works on a large scale in urban space, sometimes so large that they can be seen from space and photographed by satellite. He is recognized for using walls and streets as canvases and citizens as role models to create powerful works around the world.Take a look below for more photos of the mural. Photos Courtesy of Gerada More

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      “Monumental Moments – The Hug” by Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada in New York City

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      The internationally renowned contemporary artist, Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada best known for his urban large-scale mural portraits and his colossal land-art pieces, has just presented his collaboration with the California based company Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. an original piece of art called Monumental Moments – The Hug, a nearly 10-foot-tall and 500 pounds bronze sculpture that immortalizes the monumental times everyone has experienced during the pandemic and celebrates the human spirit, the resilience of the mental health community and all those who have been impacted by the pandemic.Inspired by the hundreds of stories shared on MonumentalMoments.com over the past year, Monumental Moments – The Hug was unveiled on Thursday, October 7, to coincide with Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 3-9) and ahead of World Mental Health Day (October 10) at New York City’s iconic Lincoln Center.Performing during the reveal was the internationally renowned, Boston-based Me2/Orchestra, the world’s only known classical music organization created specifically for individuals living with mental illness and the people who support them. The orchestra created an original musical score to kick off the Monumental Moments initiative in October 2020.The Monumental Moments community platform and charitable initiative was created to offer hope, support, inspiration and a way for the mental health community and all those facing challenges during the pandemic to connect and share how they’re prioritizing their mental health. The Monumental Moments community is now encouraging people to share any lessons learned since the start of the pandemic, what they are grateful for and how they continue to care for their mental health. 47% of the adult population in the USA affirms to suffer negative impacts on their mental health after the pandemic yet (source KFF).“I am honored to work with Neurocrine Biosciences to join the Monumental Moments initiative and create something that means so much to me. The sculpture is dedicated to those who have been struggling with their mental health because of the pandemic and represents the importance of supporting each other during these unprecedented times,” Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada said. “Art can help bring people together, and I hope the sculpture will remind us all that we can overcome these difficult times as a community.”To usher in this time of reflection, Rodriguez-Gerada’s sculpture of a hug, developed in collaboration with international art and design foundry UAP, represents the importance of connection and supporting each other and how much many of us missed hugging loved ones during these trying times.Research demonstrates that hugging can help minimize negative emotions and support a more positive state of being. 1 The sculpture depicts two adults and a child in an embrace through a complex bronze work thought in order to create the feeling of transparency and the illusion of movement, depending on your point of view. The green ribbon woven throughout represents the importance of continued mental health awareness and support, while highlighting the significance of this year’s Mental Illness Awareness Week and World Mental Health Day.“The Hug“, by Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada is also a technical tour de force: the foundry of bronze was realized using a very innovative technique called ‘the lost wax’ combined with advanced 3D printing, mixing traditional and avant garde ways of working. The primary model is built on wax directly, being an exact replica of the future finished piece which allows injecting the liquid bronze metal without filling any mold.“Last year in support of the launch of Monumental Moments, we debuted an original score to bring to life the emotional impact this time has had on many,” said Caroline Whiddon, Executive Director and cofounder of Me2/Orchestra. “This year, we are pleased to perform again and stand alongside Jorge and this magnificent sculpture to celebrate the resilience of the Monumental Moments community that has grown over time.”Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, a Cuban American contemporary artist, is recognized worldwide for his unique “urban” large-scale mural portraits that can be seen from space. By utilizing walls and floors as canvases and citizens as models, he became one of the most well-known urban artists who displays his work on walls of different cities around the world.Rodriguez-Gerada began his career in the early 90s as a founding member of New York’s Culture Jamming Movement. Since then, he has mastered his artistic directions as a muralist, sculptor and land artist. Rodriguez-Gerada has created a series of important large-scale murals, including his work in Queens, New York, memorializing the late Dr. Decoo, a Latino pediatrician who lost his life after battling the pandemic in New York City, and the Hispanic and African American communities who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19.Scroll down below for more photos of “Monumental Moments – The Hug”Photo credits:  Noam Galai, Getty Images for Spectrum Science More

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      “Byte the Candy” by Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada in Madrid, Spain

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      Muralist Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada recenlty worked on a new mural entitled “Byte the Candy” for Urvanity 2021 in Madrid, Spain. In this mural, the artist speaks out about our relationship with social media. It’s the first piece created by Gerada which brings his terrestrial land art style to the wall, creating a perfect union of the two aesthetics.In 1984, Neil Postman gave a talk about how we are “Amusing Ourselves to Death”. He criticised how the news we see on television is entertainment, there only to maintain our attention in order to sell advertisement time instead of trying to make us think.Today, we are living something beyond what Neil Postman was warning us about, social media platforms, with a system of algorithms that have no conscience or mercy. These algorithms work incessantly to keep our constant attention to see advertising and propaganda, and in that way become more efficient with the use of personal data, achieving the ability to target advertising that coincides exactly with the profile of interests of each user.Orwell, Huxley and Postman are rolling in their graves, raising their voices from the past when all of this was just a macabre idea, while the artists of the 21st century are complicit, do not denounce or give alternatives.In this portrait I incorporate the “on” button symbol that is ubiquitous in our technological reality, on the portrait of young beauty, to create a visual dialogue and invite contemplation about the possible narratives that the piece may have and how the spectators might see themselves reflected within it.Rodriguez-Gerada’s portraits, performed as murals or as terrestrial interventions that can be seen from space, more than the artist’s mark, reflect other people’s imprints. They are part of a memory that refuses to solely be a passing signal.Although it has always been based in cities, urban art hasn’t always belonged to the citizens. Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada has changed this and has given it a new condition. He has achieved this because his work is not made solely for “urbanites.” Above all, it is truly aimed at the citizenship that is forced to live, and above all, forced to transform the beast that is the City in the 21st century. Photo credits: all pics by Fer Alcalá More

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      Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada Creates 2 New Murals in Madrid For The UN Climate Conference

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      These 2 new murals focus on climate crisis and the fight of indigeneous people to save their lands and have been curated by Stephen Donofrio for Greenpoint Innovations. Jorge Rodríguez-Gerada chose again to speak out for social issues and minorities. At the center of the eye is Planet Earth, with the Amazon as the pupil and Chile […] More