Karlo Andrei Ibarra’s solo exhibition “Dreamcatcher” [Atrapasueños] will open on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 6:00pm at El Kilómetro (802 Roberto H. Todd Avenue, Santurce, Puerto Rico.) Here is a description by the show’s curator, Omar López-Chahoud.
Description (from an essay by Omar López-Chahoud): “Dreamcatcher” [Atrapasueños] is the title of Karlo Andrei Ibarra’s solo exhibition at El Kilómetro in Santurce, Puerto Rico. The show refers to a prominent body of work that speaks to unrealized, idealistic social constructs, sometimes of a utopian nature. The artist, a dreamer and advocate for global social justice, creates maps without borders, fuses nationalist symbols with everyday utilitarian objects, and conveys a sense of nonconformity rooted in local traditions and histories. Ibarra positions himself as a kind of trickster, constructing a poetic visual narrative that seeks to awaken the most basic human instincts for survival. However, he often incorporates text into his installations, intending to communicate and connect with a wider audience.
Ibarra’s practice explores similarities between individual and national identities, formulating observations about the global community to address the subordinate position of his native Puerto Rico as an unincorporated territory of the United States: “My work is strongly tied to my own geopolitical context. I use a wide variety of media that reference conceptual art and mass media. My practice is based on social and political insights gleaned from personal research, which establish correlations between individual and national identities, making broader observations about a global community.”
The artist often assumes the role of healer in his conceptual approach, and the influence of Joseph Beuys can be seen in the artist’s direct appropriation of the performance piece “I Like America and America Likes Me” (1974), revisiting the past to understand current world issues. In this iconic work, the German artist, wrapped in felt, spent several days in a gallery with a wild coyote to create a symbolic dialogue about the United States’ complex relationship with its own identity, nature, and the past, particularly the genocide of Indigenous peoples. Beuys intended the performance to be an act of healing, forging a connection between the human, animal, and natural worlds.
Ibarra, like Beuys, takes us on an artistic journey in which he unravels a series of historical and current political issues to reflect on personal experiences, often shaped by power struggles. Like a contemporary shaman emerging in times of crisis, Ibarra manifests a new visionary world.
Karlo Andrei Ibarra (Puerto Rico, 1982) holds a B.A. in Plastic Arts with concentration in Painting of the School of Plastic Arts and Design of Puerto Rico. Currently, he works as an artist and cultural manager. He is also cofounder of the contemporary art space in Santurce, Puerto Rico, called Km 0.2. [. . .]
“The work of Karlo Ibarra represents the voice of Puerto Ricans surrounded by a culture that seems to fade. He becomes responsible for it using his art to employ a constant social critique to Puerto Rico’s political and economic situation, forcing the observer to take a solid position. Recent works are focused on circumstances related to historic legacy, corruption, memory, and political systems in the context of several countries in Latin America.”
Essay above translated by Ivette Romero. See original text at https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPRaioXjmIK/ Artist’s bio: excerpts from https://www.rofaprojects.com/karlo-andrei-ibarra and https://coleccioncastrobarreto.com/section/413685-Karlo%20Andrei%20Ibarra.html
[Image above: Screenshot from https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPRaioXjmIK/.]
Karlo Andrei Ibarra’s solo exhibition “Dreamcatcher” [Atrapasueños] will open on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 6:00pm at El Kilómetro (802 Roberto H. Todd Avenue, Santurce, Puerto Rico.) Here is a description by the show’s curator, Omar López-Chahoud. Description (from an essay by Omar López-Chahoud): “Dreamcatcher” [Atrapasueños] is the title of Karlo Andrei Ibarra’s solo exhibition
