T.K.O., Pepon Osorio. (Looking & Learning).

There are many different skills attributed to artists. Perhaps the most valuable is the ability to give symbolic meaning to inert objects. Traditional artists accomplished this through representation and use of narrative; however, Pepon Osorio demonstrates that creative juxtaposition and alteration of everyday objects enables them to transcend their function and tell a new story.

From Puerto Rico to the United States 

Pepon Osorio was born in Puerto Rico in 1955 and moved to New York City in the 1970s. After working for a number of years in the social services, Osorio began making art and received a master's degree in art education from Columbia University in New York. Osorio's connection to the Puerto Rican community, both on the island and on the mainland, has informed and inspired his art. Puerto Rico is for him a place of physical, cultural, and psychological identity that he explores and expresses. He examines the cultural and political history of his homeland and looks at how that history affects contemporary society. In particular, Osorio is interested in the complex human relationships that have evolved specifically as a result of the island's history. He creates works that address attitudes towards masculinity, AIDS, race, violence, and immigrants.

A New Kind of Art

Osorio's art is associated with Installation Art a type of art that emerged in the 1980s. Installation Art. After decades of exploring the limits of such traditional media as painting and sculpture, and almost seventy years after Marcel Duchamp had posited that ideas matter as much as technical achievements, artists began to take their work off the walls and pedestals and to incorporate new media and text. Osorio and others became involved with performing artists (Osorio's earliest artworks were set designs) and discovered that by creating complete environments, they could provide a more compelling and directed experience for the viewer. Osorio brings together a wide range of materials that often includes audio and video.

Osorio's set designs of the 1980s have evolved into highly complex installations, often placed in unexpected locations: storefronts, libraries, taxi cabs, and barber shops. Osorio frequently collaborates with local communities. Typically, he will explore ideas with groups of people and create a work of art that gives form to a community's hopes and histories.

Boxing Gloves, Velvet, and Lace

T.K.O. is a boxing term that stands for technical knockout--a fight that ends when one fighter is declared unable to continue even though he is still conscious. "It is a piece about different levels of violence in Puerto Rico," states Osorio. On the top of this small box covered in a rich red fabric are a pair of boxing gloves, foliage, garlic bulbs, and a gold money clip. Inside, the piece contains about fifty objects, including aggressive-looking knives and small plastic babies.

As a Puerto Rican, Osorio says, "You can never accept anything as it is given to you." This is the legacy for a country that has had the fight taken away from it. Puerto Rico has been under the control of other countries for five hundred years--first Spain and, for the past century, the United States. Images of President George H. Bush and his wife Barbara, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, and Puerto Rican Governor Luis Munoz Marin and his wife Dona Ines refer to this. Above their pictures are objects that trace what has been taken away and left behind by the colonizers. Some of them refer to the Taino legacy (the native tribe that first greeted the Spaniards and was eradicated by disease as a result of that contact). Toy soldiers highlight the constant military presence. When Osorio made the work in 1989, he was very concerned with U.S. Navy bombing exercises on Vieques. This continues to be a significant issue today. Other objects bring to mind the African slave trade and the power of U.S. tourism.

T.K.O. highlights the ongoing struggle for independence, the sense of place, and the fight to retain a sense of identity for Puerto Ricans. "T.K.O. is also about being fed and feeding ourselves," according to Osorio. As a colonized people, Puerto Ricans are caught in a cycle of dependence. While they now have most of the benefits of American citizenship, they are unable to vote in U.S. presidential elections, nor do they have representation in the U.S. Congress. Today, this subtropical island and its approximately 3.3 million citizens are self-governed as a commonwealth of the United States. The future of Puerto Rico--whether it should become the 51st state in the U.S., become an independent nation, or remain a commonwealth--defines the politics of the island.

Questions and Discussion

* How many different objects can you identify? For which can you suggest a meaning?

* Ask students to discuss why this is or is not a work of art.

* Could this box be a boxing ring? Describe Round 1 of the struggle that would take place in it. Round 2?

* Why do you think the artist combined boxing gloves, foliage, a money symbol, and garlic bulbs (used for spiritual protection)?

* How does placing the boxing gloves on red velvet and lace change their meaning?

* What objects might you include in an artwork about the American Civil War or another historical event with which your class is familiar?

* What part of your history do you feel strongly about? What kind of artwork would you create to visually explain its importance to your classmates?

* Ask students to do some research on Puerto Rico--both its history and contemporary culture. Have them speculate on the meaning of the objects they can see in T.K.O.

* How does this artwork relate to the Vieques bombing exercises? Ask students whether they think the U.S. Navy should continue to practice there with live ammunition.

* Based on what you see and know about T.K.O., do you think the artist favors independence, statehood, or commonwealth status for Puerto Rico? Why?

For More Information:

www.risd.edu/artcontext./artists/ pepon/pepon/essay.htm www.peponosorio.com

"Art for the 21st Century." For the free full-color teacher's guide to this series, email request for Art:21 guide to [e-mail].

Con To' Los Hierros: A Retrospective of the Work of Pepon Osorio, published by El Museo del Barrio, New York: 1991.

Activities

Elementary

Start with play and a child's natural inclination to combine toys in imaginative ways. Have students bring in small dolls, vehicles, and other toys that represent real things. As a class, to create a village combine toys on a large table. In discussion, ask students to identify ways to improve how it looks and have them create stories of life within this imaginary village. Students could write a creative essay on life within the village.

Middle School

Have students identify as many objects as they can in photographs of T.K.O. and speculate on why the artist chose those objects. After their observations, share a bit about Osorio's identity and how the objects relate to him. You should also discuss how the objects relate to each other. Have each student bring in a box and a collection of objects that tell something about his/her identity. Create an assemblage using these objects. Students could also research the meanings of particular objects.

High School

After studying T.K.O. and learning about Osorio's intentions, have students research Puerto Rican history and the various points of view regarding the debate over Puerto Rican independence versus statehood. Have students create an artwork supporting statehood, independence, or commonwealth status for the island.

David Henry is head of Education at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence.