Nicole Olivieri Pagán (ElociN): Select Works
Friday, September 24, 2021 – Sunday, October 31, 2021
Presented as Part of Future Ecologies
About the Artworks
Nicole Olivieri Pagán (ElociN), May 1st #1, 2017, reproduction of drawing
Commemorative of a national protest held in Puerto Rico (May 1st, 2018) with “Se Acabaron Las Promesas” in response to measures from the Fiscal Control Board (“Promesa,” elected in 2016 by the US government), which threatened to instill salary reductions island-wide, privatize lands (including natural reserves), and close businesses and schools. The figure represents the collective power of the island, with a black and white flag of Puerto Rico, which represents mourning, and a ceiba tree, representative of cultural ancestry living on.
Nicole Olivieri Pagán (ElociN), May 1st #2, 2018, copic marker, Prismacolor pencil, ink, white charcoal
Natural lands, such as nature reserves like “Playuela,” are threatened by privatization. They are at risk of industrial development to increase tourism, destroying ecosystems belonging to hundreds of Native flora and fauna. The figure represents the unbreakable link between the people of Puerto Rico and the natural that have surrounded us and make up part of our Boricua identity. The flag is black and white to symbolize mourning.
Nicole Olivieri Pagán (ElociN), The tree, 2015, oil on canvas
A solitary tree/female figure sits on the coast line rock formations that lead to the beach. The feet of the figure make up the roots of mangroves that purify and protect the coast, as imminent pollution and destruction threatens this land. The figure is meant to symbolize an ancestral mother. The figure is of different skin tones, with varying hair textures, to represent the diversity of the people on the island.
Nicole Olivieri Pagán (ElociN), Raices Boricuas, 2015 , reproduction of linoleum etching
A collage of flora making up natural landscapes of Puerto Rico with a figure of an African woman holding a coquí (tree frog native to Puerto Rico) and a Taino man blowing on a conch to make sound. The piece is representative of the ancestral figures who are often underrepresented in our history classes. Our ancestors and our culture will not be erased.
About the Artist
Nicole Olivieri Pagán (ElociN) is a Latine/x artist and activist originally from Puerto Rico, currently residing in Gainesville, FL. This artist’s work primarily focuses on topics of environmental and social injustice, inequality, and community, with subtle hints of surrealism. The artist utilizes a diverse range of mediums, from sculptural works to oil paint, traditional printwork, and more recently digital art forms.
More Info: @art_of_elocin