“I’ve always said that if you wanted to know about your history, go to your grandmother’s cabinet. She has it right there. She keeps track of history from your entire family and her family… . I wanted to become a grandmother and collect issues about different people in the community.”–Pepón Osorio
A native of Puerto Rico, Osorio has lived in New York City since 1975. He has created set designs, installations, performance art, and visual art such as 100% Boricua that draws from both his worlds. The word Boricua is derived from Borinquen, the Taino Indian name for Puerto Rico, and is a term used in that country to describe a “true” Puerto Rican. Osorio’s art deliberately speaks to the daily lives of the Puerto Rican community in New York.
Within the lacy doors of 100% Boricua Osorio combines typical New York City tourist souvenirs with Caribbean imagery. Many of these objects are overlaid with statistics in both Spanish and English about the growing Puerto Rican population in the United States and are meant to be understood in the context of these immigrant communities.