Edel Rodriguez exhibition
Cuban-American artist Edel Rodriguez has received plenty of attention for his Donald Trump front covers over the past year, but we’ve never managed a mention here on magCulture. This week an exhibition of his work opens in the US, so now is our chance to highlight his designs.
One of the few upsides of Trump’s election as US President has been the reinvigoration of the press; subscriptions to liberal newspapers are up and weekly news magazines across the world are reporting increased sales. At the front of much of the visual coverage is Rodriguez, dubbed ‘America’s illustrator-in-chief’ and ‘Trump’s most hated artist’ as his raw orange depcitions of Trump spread like a rash across the world.
I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of Rodriguez’s drawing style; but that’s to miss the point. After 24 years working as an illustrator, he’s found his moment and established the visual reference point for the biggest story of our times. As well as a large body of US magazines, German, Spanish and Italian mags have adopted him. Sometimes his depictions have caused controversy, such as this one from just after Trump’s inaugaration (above). This example is extreme, but part of the appeal is the way the drawings reflect people’s sheer anger at this man’s presence in the White House.
The exhibition opens this Thursday, 25 January, at Wieden Kennedy in Portland, Oregan. It includes work created during the election primaries, the election itself and the first year of the Presidency. Rodriguez has also created a new title piece for the show; ‘Agent Orange’ (above) is the name of the exhibition as well as the title of a potential book the artist hopes will follow.
It combines many elements of the magazine covers, and is available as a limited edition print with profits going to refugee charities.
The show runs until 23 February.