Artist Angelique Rodríguez Vélez opens "Sobre soñando," her first solo exhibition at Sabroso! Arte Contemporáneo in Santurce, where 13 ceramic sculptures recreate the pop-culture toys and objects of her Puerto Rico childhood. The show runs through December 1, 2026 at the gallery at 802 Corchado Street in Santurce.
A Polly Pocket car originally under three inches long now measures 15 inches long, six wide and five tall, keeping its compartments and opening mechanisms. The exhibition recreates a child’s bedroom, the space Rodríguez Vélez, who grew up in a rural area, describes as a place of entertainment, isolation and fantasy, where references like Betty Spaghetty, Hello Kitty and the Powerpuff Girls mix with intimate memories such as mermaid games with her sister and cousins and afternoons at her grandparents’ home.
Over 10 years she has worked under the name "Artificio," and this body of work was imagined over about six years. She is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus, co-founded the ceramics duo "Las Malcriás" in 2016, and has won a Harvard Ceramics Scholarship (2021) and a CERF+ Get Ready Grant (2024). The gallery can be reached at 787-631-1340.