Exhibition explores Puerto Rican identity beyond borders
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Abdiel D. Segarra Ríos curated “Diasporican Abstraction: Identities Beyond Representation” at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico (MACPR), bringing together work from over sixty artists.
The exhibition resulted from ten years of research into Puerto Rican artists living in Puerto Rico, the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and other parts of the Americas. Segarra Ríos arranged the artworks to show connections between generations and geographies, focusing on themes of color, form, and the natural world.
The exhibition challenges traditional ways of understanding Puerto Rican art by questioning the importance of national identity and fixed locations. Instead, it suggests that Puerto Ricanness can be expressed through abstract art, regardless of an artist’s physical location or allegiance. The curator included pieces from both MACPR’s collection and El Museo del Barrio in New York, displaying some works in Puerto Rico for the first time.
By showcasing artists like Olga Albizu, Rafael Ferrer, and Zilia Sánchez, alongside fifty others, the exhibition aims to highlight marginalized voices within Puerto Rican art history. The artworks explore the idea that Puerto Rico is not a fixed place but changes depending on the viewer’s perspective, reflecting the experiences of those living in the diaspora. “Diasporican Abstraction” will be on view from September 26, 2026, to May 2027.
