Project Description

Rodriguez weaves a visual narrative that includes fragments of building facades, vintage rail cars, human figures, and fictional characters. Each art panel is visually divided by the silhouette of bike frames, resembling the layout of a comic book. The artist draws on imagery associated with bicycles to emphasize the human powered modes of transport along the line. Each panel is an invitation to engage the mind in a playful fantasy along the route between starting point and destination.

Artist Statement

“One thing many of us do when using public transportation is travel. Both physically and in our mind’s eye. When we look at something, we may be seeing a face, a light pole, perhaps somebody’s shoe, but simultaneously what happens is a mental picture. To capture the nature of public transportation is to crop different and small moments that form together to tell a story.”

About the Artist

SAMUEL RODRIGUEZ received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from California College of the Arts and currently resides in San Jose, CA. His work has been exhibited at Anno Domini, Phantom Galleries and Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA). From 2005-2007, Samuel Rodriguez worked with artist Mel Chin on a permanent installation for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in San Jose, CA.

Display year: 2012 –
Locations: Jefferson/USC Station