Edel Rodriguez at the De Hache conference in Queretaros, Mexico with Resist. showing on the screen
Edel Rodriguez is a busy man. Since the release of his 20x200 edition a few months back, the Cuban-American artist has continued to produce some of the most staggeringly powerful imagery out there, both topical and timeless in its appeal to our humanity. Much of his current work is the modern embodiment of art as activism. His pointed, poignant, no-nonsense approach to artmaking is unafraid of ruffling feathers in the name of resistance. A Rodriguez piece is a reminder to stay alert and active.
Rodriguez’s work is both prolific and high-profile, with pieces regularly appearing in some of the world’s most prominent publications—TIME, Newsweek, The New Yorker. And of course, Der Spiegel. The German news magazine has featured a number of Rodriguez’s artworks on their cover, including the issue that came out just yesterday. This image tackles Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, Rodriguez illustrating the tragedy in a way that exemplifies the artist’s tenacity and mastery of visual metaphor.
The latest Edel Rodriguez cover for Der Spiegel.
Der Speigel also highlighted Rodriguez in this excellent video, which gets at the core of the motivating forces behind his more political work—it seems to stem from a profound sense of responsibility, an awareness of the importance of using his talents to fight back. NBC recently unpacked that idea in this in-depth article about Rodriguez and what they aptly refer to as “weaponized cover art”.
This intrepid artist was invited to present at the 20th edition of the De Hache conference in Queretaros, Mexico, where he spoke on stage with the image of Resist. behind him. He also had an exhibit and week-long lecture tour in Florida. Next week, he’ll be performing among other artists at The Public Theater in NYC. Later this month in The Big Apple, he’s been asked to be the opening speaker at the Latino Media Summit, and will give the commencement speech at the High School of Art and Design. And that’s just June! In November, Rodriguez will be speaking, exhibiting, and conducting a workshop in Bolivia at the BiCeBe Poster Biennial. On top of that, the artist was enlisted to create a set of six large banners for UNESCO headquarters in Paris, on the subject of refugee education.
All that is to say: keep your eye on this one. We can’t wait to see what’s next.
With art for everyone,
Team 20x200
Rodriguez's Der Spiegel cover art being discussed on German talk show Maischberger's Guests.
Two of Rodriguez's pieces appear on the grounds of Trump National Doral Golf Club.
