Daniel Lind-Ramos. Vencedor #2, 1797 (Victors #2, 1797), 2017-20. Steel, aluminum, nails, palm tree branches, dried coconuts, branches, palm tree trunks, burlap, machete, leather, ropes, sequin, awning, plastic ropes, fabric, pins, duct tape, and acrylic. 70 x 70 x 33 inches. Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by Jorge M. Pérez. Photo: Pierre Le Hors.
Recipient of the 2019 Pérez Prize, Puerto Rican artist Daniel Lind-Ramos has gained critical acclaim for his assemblage works that speak to the legacy of the African diaspora in the Caribbean. His installations and dynamic sculptures are made with found organic and industrial materials gathered from the coastline of his hometown of Loíza, a predominantly Black town on the northern coast of Puerto Rico.
Vencedores #2, 1797 (Victors #2, 1797) is a large-scale sculpture of a warrior who appears to be kneeling while holding the blade of a machete. The work commemorates the 1797 battle in which free Black soldiers, fighting alongside Spanish soldiers, defeated a British attempt to invade Puerto Rico. Daniel Lind-Ramos uses found materials including coconuts, charcoal, metals, textiles, and Afro-Caribbean religious objects to reference the economies and cultures of these communities that are still prevalent today. The artist focuses on a very specific political moment to highlight the role Black people have played in Caribbean history. Highlighting overlooked historical narratives, Vencedores #2 pays homage to a group of Black soldiers who stood up to the most powerful military in the world in an attempt to preserve their freedom.