Puerto Rican artist Edra Soto is known for her larger-than-life sculptures, which challenge the viewer to think about identity, colonialism and social justice.
Her latest installation, now on view at the Doris C. Freedman Plaza in Central Park, does just that: Graft is an eye-catching sculpture based on rejas, the wrought iron screens frequently seen inside homes throughout Puerto Rico.
Made from steel and terrazo, the piece serves as an homage to Puerto Rico's working class communities, with one side representing a home's exterior and the other reflecting the privacy and intimacy of its interior.
Although the rejas are meant to be protective barriers from potential intruders, they've also become decorative statement pieces employing repeating geometric motifs that can be traced back to West Africa's Yoruba symbol systems, according to the Public Art Fund.
Graft actually incorporates shapes and patterns reminiscent of Caribbean palm leaves, a nod to the strong West African influences found throughout Puerto Rican art and culture. The playful shadows created by the work are also meant to evoke the comfort that Puerto Rican locals always call out to despite the fact that the island was colonized several times throughout history, often masking its own Black heritage.
“The rejas make perfect sense to me, as an expression of self. They exist and are understood as a formality in art, but they can live in invisibility because they are not meant to be contemplative,” Soto said in an official statement. “As decorative patterns from a common house, they are meant simply to be pleasant enough to be a part of living spaces."
The sculpture will be on display until August 24, 2025.