"When making this piece I was thinking about how to portray my varying experiences as I navigate in and out of relationships. I thought of myself as the color orange mostly because it’s my favorite color and because it’s a secondary color. Secondary referring to Sara Ahmed’s ideas on what it means to be an 'other', or in this case not primary. Ahmed says that an 'other' is a deviation in both sexuality and from whiteness. The remaining colors that are interacting with orange are the additive primary colors, red, blue, and green, and also the colors that make up light. Using the additive primary colors stems from my affinity to the diagrammatic, which I associate having a relationship to a screen, or technology in general, which uses light. Lastly, the collaged piece of paper is a reminder that ultimately I’m searching for love." - Michael Cuadrado

Oil, charcoal, ballpoint pen, and paper on canvas

3-Way is an original work by Michael Cuadrado, who is an artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Largely influenced by ideas around phenomenology, queer theory, and semiotics, his work is considering the history of painting in order to address topics within sexuality/desire, spirituality, and my complex relationship to Western thinkers and painters. Explore all works on Testudo

3-Way

"Similarly to&nbsp;<a href="https://testudomkt.com/art/3-way" alt="3-Way">3-Way</a>, this piece is also a representation of navigation. However, this piece is about navigation between two people who I’ve assigned the colors orange and red to. I start off loosely dividing up the composition from the outside in, with red and orange being the two main colors, or people. Using red and orange stem from a similar idea to why I use orange in&nbsp;<a href="https://testudomkt.com/art/3-way" alt="3-Way" class="on">3-Way</a>. Orange is a secondary color and red is part of how you make orange, also thinking about it in terms of sexuality orange and red could be considered the same sex. The rest of the piece is mostly intuitive, I’m responding to the different colors and shades until I reach the center."- Michael Cuadrado

Compatibility Chart (#3) is an original work by Michael Cuadrado, who is an artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Largely influenced by ideas around phenomenology, queer theory, and semiotics, his work is considering the history of painting in order to address topics within sexuality/desire, spirituality, and my complex relationship to Western thinkers and painters. Explore all works on Testudo

Compatibility Chart (#3)

"This piece also takes from Sara Ahmed’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/queer-phenomenology" alt="Queer Phenomenology">Queer Phenomenology</a>&nbsp;and her ideas on direction. She states that the "etymology of ‘direct’ relates to ‘being straight’ or getting ‘straight to the point” and how “following a line might be a way of becoming straight, by not deviating at any point.” In thinking about this the arrow came to mind. Arrows are typically known for directing/assisting in navigation when one is lost. I thought about what it might look like for someone to rely on directions when dealing with love, except the directions don’t actually lead anywhere. The red arrow is endlessly moving in a circle through a hazy yellow film. I was thinking about our broader reliance on 'objective' information (like a map for example) and how one may think that they could find answers to more subjective topics (like love) this way, though maybe you actually can’t."- Michael Cuadrado

Front and Back is an original work by Michael Cuadrado, who is an artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Largely influenced by ideas around phenomenology, queer theory, and semiotics, his work is considering the history of painting in order to address topics within sexuality/desire, spirituality, and my complex relationship to Western thinkers and painters. Explore all works on Testudo

Front and Back

"Maybe one of the literal depictions, this piece stems from a lecture I heard about blackholes. In the lecture the two physicists were talking about what happens when two smaller blackholes get so close that they’re gravitational pulls touch. Once they touch they become one very large blackhole, and after hearing this I thought to myself “how romantic”! Thus came Our Coiled Hearts." - Michael Cuadrado

Our Coiled Hearts is an original work by Michael Cuadrado, who is an artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Largely influenced by ideas around phenomenology, queer theory, and semiotics, his work is considering the history of painting in order to address topics within sexuality/desire, spirituality, and my complex relationship to Western thinkers and painters. Explore all works on Testudo

Our Coiled Hearts

"This piece is similar to&nbsp;<a href="https://testudomkt.com/art/our-coiled-hearts" alt="Our Coiled Hearts" class="on">Our Coiled Hearts</a>&nbsp;in that it uses the moire pattern in relation to blackholes, except here I start to incorporate collaged images of my shadow. The background and foreground are either grids or cut out circles of images I’ve taken of my shadow while on a walk, while the middle ground is a color spectrum. The shadow is an idea that has developed rather recently, however I think I am using it similarly to the arrow. The shadow being a symbol, like an arrow is, that could be used during navigation as proof of existence. Sunlight from behind me casts a shadow on the ground I am walking on while I lived in West Michigan." - Michael Cuadrado

Where The World Unfolds is an original work by Michael Cuadrado, who is an artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Largely influenced by ideas around phenomenology, queer theory, and semiotics, his work is considering the history of painting in order to address topics within sexuality/desire, spirituality, and my complex relationship to Western thinkers and painters. Explore all works on Testudo

Where the World Unfolds

"This piece is also using my shadow as a symbol and a pattern. I am taking the same idea as&nbsp;<a href="https://testudomkt.com/art/untitled-4-in-1" alt="4 in 1" class="on">4 in 1</a>&nbsp;but using images of my shadow instead of only using color." - Michael Cuadrado

Untitled is an original work by Michael Cuadrado, who is an artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Largely influenced by ideas around phenomenology, queer theory, and semiotics, his work is considering the history of painting in order to address topics within sexuality/desire, spirituality, and my complex relationship to Western thinkers and painters. Explore all works on Testudo

Untitled

"4 in 1 is another iteration of my compatibility series. Compatibility of people via colors. Instead of starting from the outside, like I did with&nbsp;<a href="https://testudomkt.com/art/compatibility-chart-number-three" alt="Compatibility Chart" class="on">Compatibility Chart</a>&nbsp;I started from the center and worked my way out. The title is a riff on John Cage’s titles, specifically his piece “ 4’33’ ”. It is a testament to the grid, but to a grid that could hold feelings between 4 colors. I’m interested in Agnes Martin referring to herself as an abstract expressionist as opposed to a minimalist via her dedication to the grid." - Michael Cuadrado

Untitled (4 in 1) is an original work by Michael Cuadrado, who is an artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Largely influenced by ideas around phenomenology, queer theory, and semiotics, his work is considering the history of painting in order to address topics within sexuality/desire, spirituality, and my complex relationship to Western thinkers and painters. Explore all works on Testudo

Untitled (4 in 1)

Michael Cuadrado is an artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He received a BFA in Drawing from Pratt Institute and is currently an MFA candidate in Painting &amp; Printmaking at the Yale School of Art.

Michael Cuadrado is an artist born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Largely influenced by ideas around phenomenology, queer theory, and semiotics, his work is considering the history of painting in order to address topics within sexuality/desire, spirituality, and my complex relationship to Western thinkers and painters. Explore all artists on Testudo

Michael Cuadrado

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Michael Cuadrado

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