The Geography of Memory: A Conversation with Juan Alberto Negroni

Born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, artist Juan Alberto Negroni weaves together the rhythms of his Puerto Rican roots with a playful sense of nostalgia and whimsy. Growing up surrounded by nature in his family’s backyard, he found inspiration in everything — from the sweet yellow coconuts to the stories hidden in the plants. His journey into art began with graphic design, but he soon embraced printmaking at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas in San Juan, where he began blending traditional techniques with bold, innovative expressions. Negroni’s work now spans painting, printmaking, and digital media, with his recent projects incorporating AI to generate hypothetical spaces that explore history, memory, and identity. In his series "El Paraíso es un Lugar: Crónicas de la Balada de los años 80s," he evokes a dreamy, almost surreal atmosphere where soft rock ballads meet the raw beauty of New Mexico’s rocky landscapes, questioning the passage of time and colonial histories. Now based in Dallas, Texas, Negroni’s art is a vibrant reflection of his personal journey — part memory, part music, and part imagined world — inviting viewers to connect with the quiet, introspective moments that shape us all.

To celebrate our collaboration with Negroni for this year’s MECA Arthop, we interviewed the artist in hopes of gaining a intimate glimpse into his creative process and the inspirations that drive his captivating body of work.

Growing up in Puerto Rico, how did your environment shape your perspective as an artist?

Even though I come from a family of six and our neighborhood was full of kids the same age range as me and my siblings, I remember spending a lot of time alone. I had always been fascinated by small things and monumental things. I paid a lot of attention to the plants my parents had in our backyard. One of them was a short coconut tree. The one that gives yellowish coconuts with super sweet water. I loved its complexity. Now that I think about it, I think I saw it as a character more than as a plant. We also had pigeon peas, limes, soursops, plantains, different types of chili peppers and herbs to make “sofrito." My elementary school math teacher (Mrs. Hernandez), who was this well-educated elegant woman, took on the mission of building our character and making us well rounded human beings. So, while she taught table etiquette to the girls, she provided the boys with gardening tools and plants and a small lot in the school’s yard to create a garden.  On top of that, I think that for most of the creative community in and from Puerto Rico, the proximity to the sea is just too influential.  So I think that for many years, my practice has been about me trying to understand how nature affected my sensibility and perception of my environment and how it shaped my character.  

What originally drew you to printmaking and later to painting?

When I started college in 1997, I went to the University of Puerto Rico in Carolina where I majored in graphic design. It took me two years to realize I wanted to have more creative agency. So in 1999 I applied and transferred to EAP (The School of Fine Arts and Design). At that point I was aware of my devotion for painting. So, I enrolled in their Printmaking program to learn the crafts and acquire a set of tools I could apply later to my painting practice.  

Can you describe your process for developing a new piece or series? Where do you usually begin? 

I love music, and I think my work responds more to music than to visual arts and art history. I am positive that if I could sing or play an instrument, I would not be a visual artist. I conceive my bodies of work as music albums. Each work feels like a song in that album. They depend on each other to make more sense. Sometimes I even exhibit them in the same order they have been created. And as in Philip Guston’s book titled “I paint what I want to see," I love putting my work away and then months or years later, take out and rediscover it, the same way we do with certain albums, songs and musicians.  

The body of work we are presenting is titled "El Paraíso es un lugar, crónicas de la Balada de los años 80s." Could you share more about the title? What are you exploring in this body of work?

The title comes after I did an artist residency in New Mexico. The bedroom’s windows offered me a beautiful view into a red, rocky, mountainous landscape while two feet away from the studio windows I could only see rocks piled on top of each other. So that’s what I drew. Still, I could not make them look rough or heavy or hard. They looked weightless and soft. “El paraíso es un lugar” is a phrase in the song “Lo que el viento nunca se llevó” from Argentine singer songwriter Fito Páez. I thought this phrase was ambiguously romantic. “Crónicas de la balada de los 80’s” translates as “Chronicles of the 80’s ballad" and we all referred to the 1980’s ballads as soft rock. So it's just a play of words.  While Artificial Intelligence raises awareness on issues about the authority we gain, maintain or lose over images created in conjunction with technology, for me it performs as a planning platform which provides me with visual resources and keeps them organized and aligned with my imagery. The prompts I build into the AI application are intended to generate images of atemporal hypothetical spaces. These prompts are based on my interest in subjects like the Atlantic Slave Trade, colonization and archeology. I am often concerned on how future generations will look into their past and what will they find as well as what would have been of geographical zones like the Caribbean if what we know as forced exoduses would have happened voluntarily. The rocks, masks and characters depicted in various contexts and forms, symbolize the revaluation of origins—both collective and individual.

How would you describe the evolution of your artistic style over the years?

As a young artist I always felt the need to prove myself and let people know I existed. I think I was always a very verbal person. Any given thought would find its way out of my mouth into the world. The same way, my work was noisy and often loud. But with age I do not feel that same need for recognition and validation. I am quieter and my work echoes that quietness and stillness.

 

Your works move beyond traditional landscapes but convey a strong sense of place. How do you balance abstraction with conveying specific memories and emotions?

I move back and forth between figurative work and abstraction when I need to say something different. My abstract work refers to a more folkloric view of myself and my heritage while my figurative work approaches issues of politics and history in a more objective way. My figurative work asks questions while my abstract work offers answers. 

What materials or techniques do you experiment with to create intimacy and emotional depth, especially on a smaller canvas?

For this body of work, I use an AI image generator. “The prompts I build into the AI application are intended to generate images of atemporal hypothetical spaces. These prompts are based on my interest in subjects like the Atlantic Slave Trade, colonization and archeology. I am often concerned on how future generations will look into their past and what will they find as well as what would have been of geographical zones like the Caribbean if what we know as forced exoduses would have happened voluntarily.”

How does the location of an exhibition influence the way you present your pieces?

While living in Puerto Rico, my identity was never a topic in my work. I was responding to the artwork and art community I was part of. So of course, moving to a place like Dallas TX, put me in a position where the first thing I needed to do was to explain myself. I was pushed into letting people know my perspective on what it meant to be a Puerto Rican artist and I guess I started doing the work that was expected from a Caribbean artist.

How has exhibiting alongside international artists impacted your perspective or approach to your work?

 

 I get the same excitement every time I am invited to show my work. The opportunity to meet new people, go to Puerto Rico or visit a different country is such a privilege. When I have an exhibition with artists I don't know, I try to learn as much as I can about them. And if I'm showing with an artist I already know and like that makes me really proud. This only makes me want to be a better artist.

 

Can you share a memorable experience from any of your solo exhibitions? How did it shape your artistic  direction?

My first solo exhibition “The Defect Effect” 20 years ago was pivotal for me. Every time I have a new exhibition, I go back and review that night's pictures and I get reminded of what an amazing journey it has been. It keeps me grounded. 

            

You aim for viewers to connect with the peacefulness in your memories. How do you make a universal experience out of something so personal?

I come from a hard-working family and social environment. I also went through the public school system which is not so culturally oriented. My most important audience is my family and friends. For me it is imperative that they can engage with my work. They are always part of my creative process as they offer the most important approval and validation of it. The rest is secondary.

Have any audience interpretations of your work surprised or changed your understanding of a piece?

I get all sorts of comments and questions about my work. But I am more affected by the quiet viewer…

Are there any new themes or concepts you’re excited to explore in future works?

I think space and time are two ideas/concepts I want to explore further. I am super invested in the use of AI in my planning process and I am really enjoying the discoveries. I feel like an archeologist on site.

How do you see your work contributing to larger conversations about memory, identity, and place in contemporary art?

It is really hard for me to visualize that. I think it is not up to me to say how my practice fits in the world. I will leave that task to the world. 

Juan Alberto Negroni's work will be available in our store during MECA Arthop, beginning November 17th through November 24.