Yuyu's art

My name is Yukiyuel or Yuyu for short. I'm a fine arts painter from the Bronx living in Brooklyn, NY. My artwork is a unique blend of modern art styles like expressionism, street art, pop art, cubism, and Taino art. I make art expressing the modern version of Indigenous art from Puerto Rico, my ethnic homeland.  To me, modernity means incorporating my ancestral heritage into the context of my modern day existence. When I create, I tap into the mentality of being "original people" that was lost with colonization and westernization. This makes my practice more than just paying homage. It is about experiencing something that could have been lost if I had accepted Western Civilization as an end point. Indigenous art is modern art and Indigenous people are still here marching towards victory against colonization. 

My process begins with ballpoint pen drawings that break down figures into essential line forms and symbolic motifs. I include stars as my main motif to reflect the Indigenous culture of fascination with the stars. Stars also tie into all creation. We all come from stars— the first cosmic creators. I also include water drop motifs to represent water which gave birth to life on earth. Water is also an important Indigenous motif. Sometimes I include heart and parabola motifs to represent universal energies of yin/ calm (the heart) and yang/ active (the parabola). The heart of course represents love and is a popular street art symbol. All the symbols are also popular in street art/ tagging. I approach the drawing stage with the most potential— feeling as though I'm carving the piece into stone like the Tainos and other Indigenous people did. The paintings then come to life with schemes that play colors off each other to interact in spiritual ways and bring depth to the surface.

My work has been seen being sold on the streets of New York City and in various local shows. Please feel free to message me with any questions or requests.