Carlos Rolón, Sigue Palante (Keep Going), 2024, laser cut hand painted canvas, embroidered appliques and fabric on repurposed tarpaulin, 49 x 90 in. (courtesy of the artist and Hexton Gallery)
On view through December 6, 2026
Art & Wellness Afternoon
Guest Artist: Carlos Rolón
SUNDAY, SEPT. 20, 12-4 PM
The Richard I. and Jeanne S. Galamba Lobby, First Floor and The Harrison Jedel Mezzanine, Second Floor
NERMAN MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
FREE and Open to the Public
Carlos Rolón’s works operate as memory capsules and as acts of preservation. The works also serve as a meditation on impermanence, survival, and the fragile beauty of the present moment. Rolón explores how histories of migration, colonialism, environmental devastation, and cultural resilience shape both personal and collective identity. Through sculpture, drawing, painting, and fabric works, Rolón’s goal is for the viewer to walk away with a communal experience.
In works incorporating FEMA tarps, repurposed materials, gold leaf, and imagery of Caribbean flora and fauna, Rolón transforms remnants of destruction into spaces of reflection and beauty. The phrase ALL WE HAVE IS RIGHT NOW speaks to the urgency embedded within these materials. Hurricane Maria, climate crisis, and ongoing ecological and political instability throughout the Caribbean reinforce the idea that permanence is an illusion. What remains is the present moment: the act of survival, remembrance, creation, and connection. The title also reflects Rolón’s interest in devotional and contemplative space. The phrase encourages viewers to pause and become present, to recognize both the vulnerability and sacredness of life. It suggests an emotional tension between loss and gratitude, mourning and transcendence.
ALL WE HAVE IS RIGHT NOW is both a philosophical statement and a form of resistance. It acknowledges uncertainty while affirming the human capacity to create beauty, preserve memory, and find meaning despite instability. Rolón’s works remind viewers that the present moment may be fleeting, but it is also where resilience, care, and transformation become possible.
Carlos Rolón (b. 1970) is an artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, sculpture, installation, and social engagement. Drawing from a wide range of materials and craft traditions, his work explores themes of ritual, beauty, spirituality, and identity, while examining their relationship to art history and institutional contexts.
Born to a Puerto Rican family in the United States, Rolón’s work often reflects personal memory and the visual culture of domestic spaces shaped by migration and aspiration. Ornament, pattern, and materiality—often associated with craft and decoration—become central elements in his exploration of belonging, cultural hybridity, and the formation of identity.
Through paintings, sculptural works, and site-specific installations, Rolón creates environments that bridge public and private space, inviting reflection on symbolism, social barriers, and the ways cultivated environments reflect histories of class, migration, and postcolonial experience.
Rolón’s work moves between exuberance and contemplation, using material and form to examine the cultural and emotional landscapes embedded within everyday spaces.
Learn more about this exhibition at nermanmuseum.org.
