Estilo Boricua

Estilo Boricua

Bringing Puerto Rico Back To Wynwood

Opened: March 2022

After World War II, many Puerto Rican families moved to the United States as a result of economic changes on the Island. At the same time, Wynwood’s commercial district began to boom and the original inhabitants of the neighborhood quickly left for the newly developed suburbs of Miami. Puerto Ricans quickly migrated to Wynwood where they lived, owned businesses, and enjoyed life. By the mid 1950s, Wynwood was known as Little San Juan. Parks, schools, and other community centers remain today named after famous Puerto Ricans such as Roberto Clemente, Dorothy (Dottie) Quintana, Eugenio Maria de Hostos, and Jose De Diego. Years later, in the 2000s, real estate developers purchased up much of the land in Wynwood’s warehouse district leading to the displacement of many older industrial businesses. Most of the Puerto Rican families from the neighborhood have since left.

To celebrate Puerto Rico’s history in Wynwood, we bring a collection of Puerto Rican artwork back to this neighborhood. Estilo Boricua presents the work of a group of graffiti artists with Puerto Rican heritage. Bill Blast, BLUSTER, DON RIMX, ISH, Manuel Acevedo, PART ONE, SEN2, SKE, and SONIC all share this common national lineage and roots in painting on the streets.

Bright, tropical colors fill the paintings of SEN2 while the island’s African roots are celebrated in DON RIMX’s portraits. PART ONE, SONIC, and Bill Blast’s paintings celebrate the mastery of letter design they have perfected for over 40 years while Manuel Acevedo mixes letters with a Brutalist architectural design that appears in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey.

SKE presents a supersized crystal bear collectible found in an abuela’s collection and celebrates music with his Boom Box painting. Lastly, BLUSTER’s dark works conjure images of odd neighbors that you might find right in his neighborhood today. These artists collectively represent a people in high spirits with tremendous pride for where they’re from and the imagery and styles that shaped their Puerto Rican identity.

A Few Of The Pieces

DON RIMX

Dentrodel Silencio, 2022

Acrylic on canvas
54 x 62 in.

SONIC

Pandemonium, 2022

Mixed media on canvas
43.5 x 60 in.

MANUEL ACEVEDO

Loot, 2022

Acrylic, vinyl paint, water & oil- based
marker on canvas
60 × 96 in.

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