Connecting queer identities to one’s own culture can oftentimes be a challenge. For José Rosa, they confronted these feelings via artistic expression—which is soon to be on display in their exhibit, Dulce Sueño.
The exhibit, which opens June 6 at the El Schomburg gallery, 2538 W. Division St., is curated as “a multimedia investigation into the tensions of queer Puerto Rican life.” Although Rosa only dove into the fine art sphere during the last two years, they see it as a natural expansion of their career in design.
They’re part of the Puerto Rican diaspora—having spent time in Luquillo, Kissimmee, Milwaukee and Chicago—which has heavily influenced their work. Now, they live in Pilsen and have been in the city for about 14 years. They said being part of the diaspora has been a positive experience.
Growing up, Rosa said, they were aware of how queer lifestyles weren’t widely accepted in their community in the ‘90s or 2000’s. Living in rural Florida at one point also added the tension of a rural environment and experiencing negative attention.
Their upcoming show ties into that feeling.
“Reimagining my identity has been something that I’ve been playing around with for a while because I am really proud of my identity, but also feel like things can change for the better,” Rosa said. “In this day and age where we’re constantly seeing things that uproot underrepresented communities … dealing with concepts of reimaging my identity is something that I feel is a powerful tool to experience pure liberation.”
They’re also hoping to add new concepts to representation of Puerto Rican culture—popular representations today often include Bad Bunny, coquis or bomba, they said. They hope this body of work, which includes 13 different pieces, will show the community is also “so much more.”
Outside of the fine art sphere, Rosa has been a graphic designer for the last 10 years. Recently, they’ve been doing design work and photography for Latine and queer community organizing in Chicago.
For them, transitioning into more creative arts “just made sense.” They had always loved including new and unique components in their designs, photography or even zine making. Growing up interested in performing and dancing, Rosa said they like to combine performance and visual art.
Rosa initially got involved with the organizing scene because they wanted to get more exposure for their design photography. They’ve helped with fundraisers for Hurricane Maria and the 2017 Mexico City earthquake. They’re also part of the Marimacha Monarca Press, a McKinley Park-based queer and trans art collective, where they help out with workshops around the city.
Rosa’s favorite mediums to work with are screen printing and fabric, partly due to its impact on their childhood.
“Fabric is something that I’ve been trying out, but it’s always been very intuitive for me because I’ve seen my mom create so many things out of fabric,” they said. “So it just made sense to transfer to that.”
Some of the mediums in Dulce Sueño include paperwork, screen printing, metal work and even a video art performance piece. Rosa said although it is a solo show, they were able to collaborate with some community members on ideas and get feedback.
The show will include pieces Rosa has been working on since earlier this year. Others date back to 2024 or 2022. All of them aim to tell a story in some way.
“[This] has opened so many doors to really get in there and just try new things,” they said. “This is an exhibit that is filled with things that I’ve just touched for the first time.”
When people come to the exhibit, Rosa hopes people are inspired to think about different perspectives and lived experiences. Most importantly, he hopes visitors of all genders and sexualities can reimagine their identity.
Part of that will be done through workshops he’s hosting where people can bring their own items representing their identity and create artworks.
“I want people to come in and really think about that,” he said. “I feel like we’re all sort of self-aware and not fully happy with what the norm is, yet we abide by it. So how do we reimagine liberation for ourselves?”
Dulce Sueño runs until July 19 at El Schomburg, located at 2538 W. Division St. There will also be an artist talk June 7 from 2-4 p.m.