Mónica Rodríguez's 'Evacuación' Exposes Colonial Continuities in Tourism

Mónica Rodríguez's video work 'Evacuación' (2019) juxtaposes contemporary tourist footage of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a 1898 eyewitness account of the US military occupation. The piece is part of the larger program 'Outside Lineage,' a twelve-video series curated by Rodríguez that explores resistance to hegemonic temporalities and colonial inheritance. Drawing on Ailton Krenak's critique of progress and Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui's concept of ch'ixi memories, the series features artists employing orality, opacity, myth, and fragmentation to disrupt linear time. Rodríguez's practice examines feminist, environmental, and anti-colonial histories in Puerto Rico through drawing, sculpture, video, and participatory formats. She holds an MFA from CalArts, participated in the Whitney Independent Study Program, and has exhibited at venues including the Whitney Museum, Swiss Institute, and ICA VCU. She lives and works in Puerto Rico.