Kenny Rivero's 'I Can Love You Better' Exhibition at Shin Gallery Explores Dominican-American Childhood

From December 12, 2014 to February 28, 2015, Kenny Rivero presented his solo exhibition 'I Can Love You Better' at Shin Gallery in New York City. The show featured paintings and drawings that vividly depicted the artist's Dominican-American upbringing in Washington Heights. Rivero's work incorporated personal and familial history through imagery of neighborhood scenes, vacant streets, and urban vignettes. His installation recreated the actual rooms he grew up in, complete with linoleum patches, peeling wallpaper, and glass shards atop walls. Recurring motifs included baseball—a passion shared with his father—and cryptic numbers referencing his boyhood apartment and local area codes. The exhibition title was drawn from a 1997 Mary J. Blige record, transformed into a tribute to his youth. Rivero's paintings often featured attached objects like felt pieces, metal numbers, or machine-embroidered curtains. His drawings on salvaged paper included self-portraits and childhood heroes like Batman, while barbershop imagery reflected his identity exploration. Art historical references to Stuart Davis, Philip Guston, and Jasper Johns appeared subtly throughout the work. The show balanced whimsical playfulness with themes of violence and upheaval, seen in images of empty sidewalks and ominous alleys. Rivero, a Yale MFA graduate, demonstrated mastery of diverse painting techniques and evocative color palettes.