Amigo Jaguar
In these zoomorphic vessels, the artist has positioned human faces peering out from the mouths of animals like the jaguar, eagle, and quetzal. Traditionally, vessels hold our necessities, our belongings, our keepsakes. In his new exhibition, Rodriguez imagines that they do much more, serving ambiguous, ceremonial functions. They transform the age-old idea of a storage jar into a magical container for holding images of ourselves, our identities, and our cultures. In so far as our lives are invisibly shaped by animal spirits, we acquire their traits by wearing them like hidden costumes or hoodies.