visual language tells a story
To be Boricua in 2025 is to live with both pride and uncertainty. Puerto Rican culture continues to gain global recognition. While the island faces systemic economic hardship, the diaspora faces the rise of anti-Latino rhetoric.
This art reflects the push and pull between cultural celebration and the challenges Puerto Ricans continue to face.
The top half of the poster centers moments of collective joy and cultural continuity. These visuals establish grounding before the narrative descends into conflict.
At the center of the poster is the coquí, a native Puerto Rican frog and cultural symbol, which represents all Puerto Ricans—those on the island and in the diaspora.
Surrounding the coquí are eyes, representing the overwhleming feeling of pressure stemming from:
The eyes convey the social, political, and cultural pressures present in daily life. They suggest the emotional weight of being constantly perceived, judged, and politicized.
The lower half of the poster introduces political and systemic harm. This section shifts the emotional tone from celebration to confrontation.
Key story moments include:
The minimal use of text is deliberate—the story is built on recognition rather than explanation.
This reference rejects simplified portrayals of Puerto Rican identity. As a storytelling approach, the project demonstrates that meaning can be spatial rather than linear, that cultural symbols can carry narrative weight without explanation, and that preserving tension can be more truthful than offering resolution.