Eddie Aparicio’s work examines the interplay between raw materials, cultural history, and global commerce, rooted in the indigenous knowledge and traditions of Latin America. This exhibition focuses on Aparicio's monumental rubber casts, which serve as both physical and metaphorical records of the socio-economic ties between Latin America and the United States. Through his innovative use of material and site-specific processes, Aparicio creates artworks that embody the layered histories of migration, labor, and cultural exchange.
One of the featured works, City Bus Memorial (Fig. and Ave. 60, LA, CA) (2016), exemplifies Aparicio’s practice of using rubber as a medium to document urban and environmental narratives. The piece, a large-scale mixed-media work on linen, captures imprints of urban surfaces, evoking the residues of human activity and the scars of industrial and colonial histories. The decayed and weathered aesthetic, combined with the materiality of the rubber, creates a dialogue about permanence and ephemerality, reflecting the complexities of migration and cultural identity. Aparicio’s work transforms everyday materials into powerful monuments, offering a poignant exploration of the interconnectedness between place, memory, and community.
