Garvin Sierra (b. 1977, Ponce, Puerto Rico) lives and works in Puerto Rico. 

Sculptor, graphic, and new media artist, we discovered the work of Garvin Sierra at the exhibition "A Culture in Flames: Puerto Rican Art of Resistance in the XXI Century" at the Clemente (New York) this past spring. The show was curated by Quintín Rivera Toro, another dear La Pera featured artist.

 

Sierra's work is recognized for his critical prints and sculptures of social, political, and military conflicts. For this special collaboration with La Pera Projects, the artist has specially conceived two new works that serve as an invitation to contemplate our current way of life, emphasizing the cyclical system of how the world and human nature behaves. Alongside these, we wanted to showcase some iconic pieces made by the artist in recent years in which sharp aesthetics meet strong political criticism and humor.

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"Perreo" goes back to the demonstrations of the summer of 2019, where a government’s Telegram chat mobilized the country, claiming Governor Ricardo Rosello's departure. A perreo night in the vicinity of the Cathedral of San Juan served as a political tool used by the people to condemn the situation. It was Jorge Rivera Nives presenting the event on television who coined the famous El perreo intenso acaba de comenzar. "Iceberg" is about the stagnation of Puerto Rico in the face of the colonial situation. According to Sierra, they are frozen and aimless before the outrage of the Fiscal Control Board, the Promise Law. "San Sanitizer" brings a touch of humor. Alluding to the pandemic, the work is a dedication to José Rosa, a Puerto Rican artist who has worked on the theme of saints in his career.

 

Garvin Sierra earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture and Graphic Arts at Universidad de Puerto Rico. During his formative years, he worked as an assistant to the sculptors Melquíades Rosario Sastre, Ramón Berríos, and Perellano Soucy. Parallel to his work as an artist, Sierra currently serves as a graphic designer and as a designer of exhibitions. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Japan, Slovenia, Mexico, Portugal, and the United States, among others, and is part of relevant private and institutional collections in the US.