Butter Gallery presents "¡No Pintes en las Paredes!", the first solo exhibition of Puerto Rican artist Jean-Michael Vissepó Ocasio which features a body of work that possess the spontaneity and crude aesthetic of primitive hand drawings, all the while calling towards a mystical minimalism which brings out the inner child. 

 

In 2016, Vissepó acquires a massive sketchbook, working on it as if a visual diary, where he revisits a time when his mother constantly reprimanded him for drawing on the walls of his bedroom. She would yell ‘No Pintes en Las Paredes!’ unbeknown to her, years later, her son’s practice would involve precisely what she always feared. 

 

Through seemingly innocent and playful pictures, Vissepó’s work reveal the struggles he goes through as an artist, the desires of succeeding, thoughts and reactions about the environment he transcends into. His images present a certain Joie de Vivre, a fresh playfulness that provokes the viewer to be cheerful and exuberant. The intensity of some traces, the literalness of the interpretation, and the occasional flamboyant touch draws the viewer to rethink their own childhood, their own upbringings, and their memories. 

 

Themes of nostalgia and Diaspora are very present in Vissepo’s work; peculiar iconography that reminisce his hometown in Puerto Rico mixed with the very specific flavor of the Magic City, his permanent home for the past year. There is an immediate message in each of Vissepo’s drawings despite (or perhaps because of) their seemingly spontaneous, aleatory composition. His works are purely autobiographical by nature; one has the impression of understanding his existential concerns, the paintings provide a lens through which to view urban beauty and decay.

 

Vissepo is predisposed to discover the meaning in the world around him. He therefore seeks for the mode of communication inherent in the environment, in a text or a picture; but from time to time the world becomes undone, it happens suddenly and unexpectedly, and he glimpses reality from another perspective. The material world suddenly seems to lack meaning and coherence. It strikes us as no longer rational, but absurd. 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

 

Puertorican born artist Jean-Michael Vissepó Ocasio studied at Watkins College of Art and Design | Film. He currently teaches art to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, something that directly influences his work and creative process. Vissepó has participated in group shows in Puerto Rico and Miami with galleries such as Roberto Paradise and Girls Club Collection; and exhibited in art fairs such as NADA and Edgezones. 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE CURATOR

 

Fernanda Torcida was born and raised in Asuncion, Paraguay. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree with a focus on Photography from Florida State University. Currently she is the Gallery Manager at Pan American Art Projects and also collaborates with Noguchi Breton on many things. As an independent advisor in the arts, Torcida has uniquely positioned herself in Miami’s bourgeoning cultural landscape. “¡No Pintes en las Paredes!" is her first solo exhibition as a curator.