Edra Soto, the place of dwelling (2025). Porcelain, Sintra, wood, paint. 54 1/2 x 54 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. 138.4 x 138.4 x 11.4 cm. (photo by © Edra Soto)
Edra Soto: the place of dwelling
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
January 29, 2026-January 26, 2027
Edra Soto is a purveyor of memories—of her own personal memories growing up in Puerto Rico; collective memories of pop-cultural icons, such as Iris Chacón and Bad Bunny; and historical memories of the island’s blended Spanish Colonial and Indigenous past. These memories sometimes surface in her work in obvious ways, as when she upholsters the ubiquitous white molded-plastic chair in tropical-print beach towels. Other times, the memories are more subtly placed, as when she tucks family photographs into metalwork sculptures, only visible to viewers by peering through miniature embedded viewfinders. More often, the memories are inexplicit, appearing in the form of abstracted architectural and design objects, based on the traditional rejas, or screen grills, a staple of residential architecture. Here, an alternate history of Puerto Rico is invoked, not the official history of colonization, the history that is taught to Puerto Rican schoolchildren. But a history of the unnamed working class who make up the majority of the population of the U.S. territory, whose origins and traditions remain obscure to this day.
“My archive is my memory,” Soto has said. “It was private until it became public.” Once painfully shy, Soto found, like many artists, that she could communicate through art. She started as a surrealist painter, dealing then in a form of Magical Realism, issuing images of people pursuing happiness and love amidst, in her words, “exploding volcanoes and other ridiculous images.” Eventually, Soto would consider these human figures as players on a stage, as in the daily church ceremonies she attended as a child. This led to a focus on the stage itself, the backdrop for this communal human activity, shaped by the rituals of the Catholic church with all its props, scenery and architecture. (Soto says now that she doesn’t believe in Catholicism; she believes in dogs, who have taught her about love.)
Beyond the personal memories, the pop icons and vernacular architecture, Soto’s work is about preserving traditions. And this happens through audience participation—the activation of her works through the presence of people and the experiences she fosters in relation to purpose-built objects and environments. Last year, with support from the New York Public Art Fund, Soto erected an elegant corten steel and terrazzo structure at the southeast corner of Central Park. Titled Graft, the work comprised a massive screen wall and seating, sheltering visitors from the snarl of traffic and offering a quiet place for social gathering, perhaps a game of dominoes on one of the three concrete tables, specially designed for this purpose. I was there with Soto, watching visitors come and go throughout the afternoon, and hearing her explain in her Spanish accent, that Graft is about offering a familiar home to Puerto Ricans transplanted to the United States. Observing the diversity of people visiting the site, myself among them, the work inspired so much more. It also spoke to the blending of cultures that occurs around the world every day, and perhaps, more importantly, to the acts of kindness and generosity—also occurring around the world every day—through the offering of spaces that are welcoming to all.
–Kevin Moore, Independent Curator
