Artist: Juan “Jufe” Fernández
Exhibition title: Hace falta mas hielo
Venue: Embajada, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Date: August 28 – October 30, 2021
Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Embajada, San Juan
Embajada is pleased to present Hace falta mas hielo (When there is no ice), artist Juan “Jufe” Fernández’s first solo exhibition at the gallery. The show brings together seven paintings together with three digital works inspired by recent road trips around Puerto Rico.
Upon entering the gallery, visitors are engulfed in a pink hue which conjures the golden hour just before sunset. Canvases in pastel hues dot the walls echoing the palette of colonial architecture. Subtle lines come into focus as one approaches the works, each depicting objects nostalgic to Puerto Rico such as palm trees or a pineapple or more contemporary references such as Can-am vehicles emblematic of the thriving car culture. The digital works reference similar imagery, crashing waves of a clear blue ocean, a rotating car that are popular on the island, and featuring his first hologram. Entitled Isla de Puerto Rico, 2021, the hologram is of a rotating coin based on the original currency used while a colony under Spanish rule. The work will be minted into an NFT and available at auction in the coming weeks, furthering the work’s potency by reclaiming value and autonomy through technology and the digital realm.
We left San Juan on a Saturday at around 10:00 am on our way to the southwest of the island and on the expresso a Can-Am passed us blasting Bad Bunny with “Greetings to hater, how are you?” Going down Ciales we saw a 70 ‘Datsun 1200 parked in a super groomed hammock. From there we followed him to La Parguera and ate fried chillo.
The next day we had Medalla for breakfast and went straight to Playa Sucia to lie on the sand under some palms to watch the sunset. On our way to Joyuda we stopped at 100, I bought a pineapple and when we arrived we realized that we forgot to buy the ice.
–Juan “Jufe” Fernández
Juan “Jufe” Fernández (b.1985, San Juan, Puerto Rico) received a BA in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. Fernández has been exhibiting his work in and around Puerto Rico, Miami and Mexico in various exhibitions. Most recently he had a solo exhibition at Recinto Cerra titled 9am, San Juan (2018). He has also participated in art fairs presentations at different art fairs such as MECA, San Juan and MACO, Mexico City. Fernández lives and works in Santurce, Puerto Rico.
Juan Fernández, Hace falta mas hielo (installation view), 2021
Juan Fernández, Hace falta mas hielo (installation view), 2021
Juan “Jufe” Fernández, Can-Am, 2020-2021, Cel-Paint, Acrylic Gouache on canvas, 42 x 42 inches
Juan Fernández, Hace falta mas hielo (installation view), 2021
Juan Fernández, Hace falta mas hielo (installation view), 2021
Juan Fernández, Ciales, 2021, Cel-Paint, Acrylic Gouache on canvas, 18 x 32 inches
Juan Fernández, La Punta, 2021, Cel-Paint, Acrylic Gouache on canvas, 48 x 48 inches
Juan Fernández, Mangles, 2021, Cel-Paint, Acrylic Gouache on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
Juan Fernández, Hace falta mas hielo (installation view), 2021
Juan Fernández, Hace falta mas hielo (installation view), 2021
Juan “Jufe” Fernández, Datsun (Night version), 2021, Cel-Paint, Acrylic Gouache on canvas with black light, 36 x 64 inches
Juan Fernández, Hace falta mas hielo (installation view), 2021
Juan “Jufe” Fernández, Isla de Puerto Rico (installation view), 2021, Edition 1 of 1, 2048 x 2048 H.264/MPEG-4 10-seconds looped digital file (from 300 lossless TIFF masters), hologram fan, cable, Sold 1.10 ETH, Via auction on Foundation.app/Jufe
Juan “Jufe” Fernández, Isla de Puerto Rico (still), 2021, Edition 1 of 1, 2048 x 2048 H.264/MPEG-4 10-seconds looped digital file (from 300 lossless TIFF masters), hologram fan, cable, Sold 1.10 ETH, Via auction on Foundation.app/Jufe
Juan “Jufe” Fernández, Isla de Puerto Rico, 2021, Edition 1 of 1, 2048 x 2048 H.264/MPEG-4 10-seconds looped digital file (from 300 lossless TIFF masters), hologram fan, cable, Sold 1.10 ETH, Via auction on Foundation.app/Jufe
