This Fall, the Memorial Gallery welcomes internationally exhibited artist and illustrator Edel Rodriguez. This exhibition is a survey of his original works, including published book cover designs, magazine commissions, and posters examining identity, cultural displacement, and mortality. All of these works were inspired by personal history, religious rituals, politics, memory, and nostalgia. This exhibition is a prime example of the Memorial Gallery’s mission, which is to serve as a vital teaching instrument and visual resource that enriches campus cultural life as well as that of the surrounding community. 


“It has been an honor to work with Edel for this exhibition, and I look forward to bringing together a number of his works for this exhibit. They will highlight both his personal and professional works side by side, reflecting his perspective and observations of the day-to-day challenges presented by the current economic, societal, and political issues that are beyond our control,” says Beth Giacummo, Curator & Memorial Gallery Director. 


Rodriquez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1971, but was raised in a small farm town, surrounded by fields of tobacco and sugar cane, named El Gabriel. In 1980, during the Mariel boatlift, Rodriguez and his family left Cuba and came to America. They settled in Miami, where Rodriguez was first introduced to and influenced by American pop culture. This, along with other aspects of his life such as Socialist propaganda, western advertising, island culture and contemporary city life continue to inform his work. 


In 1994, Rodriguez graduated with honors in painting from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. In 1998, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Manhattan’s Hunter College graduate program. Throughout his career, Rodriguez’s work has been exhibited in Los Angeles, New York, Havana, London, Berlin, Prague, Brussels, Spain, and South Africa. His artwork is currently in a variety of institutions including the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. and many private collections. Rodriguez has also received commissions to create artwork for numerous clients like The New York Times and The New Yorker as well as many book publishers. He has also produced multiple award-winning Time magazine cover art designs over the previous two decades. 


We invite the Farmingdale Community at large to experience Rituales y Politica by Edel Rodriguez on display in the Memorial Gallery from September 12th through November 30th, 2022. We look forward to seeing you in the gallery soon!