Rodriguez, Hampton. Diversity. 2022 Individual Artist Fellow, Oregon Arts Commission.
Originally published February, 2022
Hampton Rodriguez grew up in the Dominican Republic and was profoundly influenced by the intellectual pursuits of the contemporary abstract art movement there. After exhibiting his work in Spain and Belgium, he moved to Oregon in March of 2002 and says since then he has become a different artist. The focus of Hampton’s work shifted to capture the idiosyncratic culture of Portland’s diverse neighborhoods, the cadence of people’s lives, the scenes of cultural clashes – urban vs. rural – as well as the development of images that tap into shared concepts and feelings. In his recent work, he tries to capture the fleeting human expressions of anger and hope, desire and sadness. His work is egalitarian, surrealistic and filled with people’s mystiques. He strongly feels that an artist belongs to the place where they live, a universal evolution of feelings and juxtaposed realities that are reflected in their work and personal life.
Courtesy of the Oregon Arts Commission.
Artist Credit: Hampton Rodriguez