Daniel Lind-Ramos: El Viejo Griot — Una historia de todos nosotros

Daniel Lind-Ramos (b. 1953, Loíza, Puerto Rico) uses found and gifted objects of personal, communal, and regional significance—such as everyday tools, objects of adornment, and debris salvaged from the beaches and streets near his studio—to create monumental sculptures and video works. His practice reflects the vibrant culture of Loíza by honouring local customs of agriculture, fishing, cooking, and masquerade through sculptures that evoke experiences of Hurricane Maria (2017), the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing environmental degradation.

Borrowing its title from a character in Loíza’s annual Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol responsible for interpreting the town’s past and present, El Viejo Griot — Una historia de todos nosotros (The Elder Storyteller—A Story of All of Us) considers Lind-Ramos’s role as artist and narrator. Combining materials the artist collected after the hurricane with items given to him by friends and neighbors, many of Lind-Ramos’s works embody features of the storm—such as wind and lightning—while also referencing how communities in Puerto Rico came together in its aftermath. Within the mythology he presents in the exhibition, Lind-Ramos foregrounds communities committed to the survival and sustenance of Afro-Taíno traditions and people on the Puerto Rican archipelago.