José Luis Cortés: En Blanco Y Negro

As part of the citywide celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Reminder Day demonstrations, GALAEI and Taller Puertorriqueño are pleased to present in June, En Blanco y Negro: Gay & Boricua, an exhibition of the artwork of José Luis Cortés.

José Luis Cortés a native Philadelphian, is a painter, performance and video artist, who is known for his artwork inspired by his time in New York City in the early 1990’s.  Cortés’ very personal work reflects the underbelly of gay life – documenting a life on the fringes of society:  of sex workers, addiction, and of a rapidly-changing landscape.   He is an artist who, with his work, validates his world and voices his identity as both a gay man and as a Puerto Rican.

Cortés’ work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the country as well as in Europe. His work has been reviewed in The New York Times, Art in America, Out Magazine and many other publications. You can see more of his work at the Visual AIDS Online Registry, and learn more about him at jlcortes.com.

Cortés is also a founding member of The Archive Project, and was included in the landmark exhibition, The First Ten (1995), which showcased the work of artists living with HIV. Currently he works with urban youth in Puerto Rico, teaching them about art, and how it can become a part of their daily lives. In 2013, Cortés participated in VIAL, an exhibition at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (MAPR).  The exhibition in Taller Puertorriqueño will be his first in Philadelphia.

Following the exhibition, on June 20^th at 3PM, there will be a panel discussion at Taller Puertorriqueño on gay and Latino issues led by the writer and AIDS activist, David Acosta.