Miguel Busquets-Pales

En Mi Viejo San Juan

My exhibition aims to illustrate several locations in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Each and every piece of artwork in the exhibition explores concepts of Puerto Rican historical and cultural enrichment, mainly through the use of the unique architecture that Old San Juan is known for. Several artists have influenced me into making these artworks, from local artists such as Bobby Cruz, who helped me get a better sense of Old San Juan, to more international artists like Megan Coyle, who helped me discover new mediums and techniques I could implement. 

“Layered El Morro” represents El Morro, one of Old San Juan’s most known historical landmarks. This artwork was created by dividing the image into different layers, then drawing and cutting these layers to make them into a paper relief sculpture. This medium was selected because it was a busy picture, meaning that there was a lot happening through the image, and this was the best way to capture this busy feeling. “La Perla” represents the well known neighborhood in Old San Juan. This artwork was created with the use of brightly toned watercolors and a black pen. La Perla is known for its brightly colored housing, which is why this medium was selected. “Prideful Door” illustrates a wooden door, adorned with the Puerto Rican flag,  in a building in Old San Juan. This artwork was created again with brightly toned watercolors and black pen. This medium was utilized for this artwork with the aim of wanting to represent the lively spirit of the Puerto Rican (through the flag) with the use of bright colors. “The Streets of Old San Juan”, much like the title implies, represents a series of buildings found in the streets of Old San Juan. This artwork was created through the use of collage, in which short strips of magazine paper are cut and pasted to represent the original image. 

For the arrangement, the artworks were divided based on their respective locations. Firstly, “La Perla” is the first artwork, located on the left side by itself, since it represents a neighborhood inside Old San Juan.  “Prideful Door” and “The Streets of Old San Juan” are artworks depicting the streets of Old San Juan, and are the second and third artworks, both located in the middle. Finally, “Layered El Morro” depicts El Morro, which is why it was placed as the fourth work on the right side.