In Capital We Trust

Diplomacy and human decency have become obsolete values overnight. World leaders are conniving and showing off their worst nature; meantime, our own planet admonishes us about global warming as it starts to raise its ugly head, while the rest prefer to squat like disgruntled bullfrogs barking about some appalling socio-political issue. Everyone shrugs their shoulders, but their eyes mirror worry and disbelief.

In a somewhat bare similarity to this peculiar and tumultuous times, are the works by artist Raoul “Iggy” Rodriguez. He likewise confronts his audience head on, but he uses a language that is an antitheses of the atrocious political remarks we hear. His language is embellished, curious and ambiguous. His latest collection, In Capital We Trust, characterizes a struggle to soothe the innocent and exploited, by provoking us with portraits of passion and strain, rife with abscess and sores, yet shrouded by its somber wit and tone. His new works display his persistence to refine his own technique, to transcend the hideous and repulsive, recreating magnificent creatures through his genius with pen and ink, and using a language that is glaring, yet muted. He tickles our curiosity, coaxing us to disentangle the contradistinction of his works, but also imparting the value of gentle discourse.

In retrospect, it is through perceptive talent like Iggy Rodriguez that we witness many artists as conceivably ‘the wise and quiet sage’. We should perhaps contemplate on this – as our own seriously distraught world might perhaps start to take a serious cue from artists like him.

Click to download Catalog