Roberto Lugo‘s Orange and Black places the artist’s contemporary ceramics into context with the ancient greek objects that inspired them. Curated by Carolyn Laferrière, associate curator of ancient Mediterranean art at the Princeton University Art Museum, the exhibition achieves what many can not, it bridges the gap between the ancient and modern and clearly illustrates that we are much more like our ancestors than we generally acknowledge.
Roberto Lugo / Orange and Black features vases that draw on the shapes, techniques, and decorative motifs of ancient Greek vases in order to tell personal and communal stories of contemporary social and political oppression. Shown alongside Lugo’s vases are a selection of ancient Greek vessels from the collections of the Princeton University Art Museum that inspired him, creating a temporal, visual, and social juxtaposition between the ancient and contemporary vessels. Ultimately, the exhibition encourages consideration of Lugo’s place within the long history of ceramic production and use, as well as the crucial role the medium has played in facilitating storytelling, societal interaction, and humankind’s everyday lived experience.
