Rhythm Of The Island

I just added an exhibition to my website. Hopefully this will be one of many.  It's called "Rhythm Of the Island".  

Feel the heartbeat of La Isla Del Canto — the enchanted island that sings.

At the soul of Puerto Rico lives a rhythm you don’t just hear — you feel it in your chest, your feet, your blood.

Bomba and Plena are more than music. They are memory, resistance, and joy, born from the Afro-Caribbean roots that run deep through the island’s soil.

Bomba is the elder. Forged over 500 years ago by enslaved Africans, it carried what words alone could not — grief, fury, defiance, and an unbreakable will to celebrate life. It wove together the distinct tribes torn from their homelands and brought to this island, giving them a shared voice. The tambor (barril) thunders. The cuá — two sticks struck against the drum and Maracas keep the beat. Lyrics rise in call and response, but when the dancer steps forward to improvise, the rules shift: the musician follows. The body leads. The drum listens.

From Bomba’s bones grew Plena — sharper, more street-wise, born along the southern coast of the island in the early 20th century. Where Bomba speaks the spirit, Plena speaks the news. Lyrics are narrative and inspired by current events, protest, and satirical takes on politics. It is often referred to as “el periódico cantado”— the sung newspaper. It’s instrument of choice: la pandereta. A round hand-held drum.  Just like the newspaper, its was easy to carry for spontaneous get together.

Today, both are very much alive. A new generation is reclaiming them, weaving their rhythms into salsa, hip-hop, and beyond — proving that some heartbeats never stop.

The rhythm of the island where color and motion collide in celebration of resilience, identity, and joy.  Each brushstroke carries echoes of ancestors, of stories passed down though movement, music, and memory.  The vibrant palette reflects the warmth of the Caribbean sun, while the energy of the figures speak to a culture that refuses to stand still.

In Rhythm Of The Island, tradition is not preserved—it is alive, evolving, and unapologetically expressive.