ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Having long explored abstract forms inspired by pop culture and celebrated Latinos, an Allentown artist's newest work serves as a personal reflection.
Dylan Collazo's new exhibition, "When Eye Faced Myself, I Drew Blood," will debut from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Inkwell, 1125 Hamilton St.
The exhibition brings together 19 pieces, ranging from self-portraits and narrative scenes of people who’ve shaped his life to works rooted in his Puerto Rican heritage.
"I felt like I had a real representative experience of what it’s like to grow up Puerto Rican on the East Coast — in academia, in the urban underworld, in places of prestige."Artist Dylan Collazo
It also includes what Collazo describes as “prophecy pieces” — paintings that envision the future he believes will shape him.
“For years, these self-portraits were my fortress,” Collazo said. “I wanted to document my life.
"I felt like I had a real representative experience of what it’s like to grow up Puerto Rican on the East Coast — in academia, in the urban underworld, in places of prestige and places with no structure.
"These paintings give the full picture.”
'Those letters sparked everything'
Collazo's self-taught journey into the art world began when he was 8 years old.
A father figure, who was incarcerated, began sending him letters filled with hand-drawn figures, and Collazo would respond with illustrations of his own.
“That’s how I learned,” Collazo said.
“He’d sketch something, I’d copy it. Those letters sparked everything.”
Years later, Collazo, a Dieuriff High School alum, would sell bubble-letter name designs to fellow students — his first public display of creativity and what would later serve as a model for his thriving business.
Collazo, who holds a master's degree from Cedar Crest College and brings experience in IT and project management, has leveraged those skills to grow his art career into a thriving business.
While his paintings sell for thousands of dollars, Collazo also has built a strong online presence on social media and a website so art collectors can buy his works via more affordable prints.
A passion for pop culture
During the coronavirus pandemic, Collazo said, he realized that to tell his own story, he first needed an audience.
To build one, he turned to his love of entertainment and art — creating series that spoke in a visual language people already understood.
His vibrant 10-piece "Hispanic Heritage Collection" depicts abstract interpretations of Latino notables such as Selena, Frida Kahlo, Roberto Clemente, Pablo Escobar and Fidel Castro.
The “Born Mafiusu” collection examines how inner-city youth are drawn to Mafia mythology, comparing the culture in which he grew up with films and shows like "The Godfather" and "The Sopranos" and the work of Italian-American icons such as Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese.
Another series, "Cinemantic Excellence," is filled with homages to characters from films such as "Dead Presidents" and "New Jack City."
“These collections were intentional,” he said.
“I needed people to know the work was coming. And now I’m finally back to the reason I started painting.”
Prophecy in Paint
A signature element of Collazo’s new collection is prophecy — visual predictions of his own future.
“My first show in 2019 had a painting called 'Life and Times (The Story of Caine)," he said.
“It was painted before my son was born. But it was about him.”
In "When Eye Faced Myself, I Drew Blood," Collazo said he continues the tradition with images riddled with subtle spiritual messages, symbols and foreshadowing that evolve into self-portraits.
“It’s my spiritual investment,” he said. “Painting the life I believe is coming.”
There also are pieces dedicated to his family, who hail from Puerto Rico, and his in-laws, who are from Honduras.
"Grand Parents (When Life Hands You Lemons)" depicts his in-laws sitting at a table while they gaze at photos of their respective patriarchs, who have passed.
At the center of the table sit lemons — a cultural nod to the citrus fruits that appear in many traditional Honduran dishes.
"It's a statement on lineage and the raising and the uprearing and what we built for ourselves."Artist Dylan Collazo
" There's a Polaroid on the table of each of their parents holding each of their kids when they were children," he said.
"It's a statement on lineage and the raising and the uprearing and what we built for ourselves."
Another piece, “Peace in the Promise Land,” reflects the "chaos" of the past two years regarding global peace and climate change while addressing a sense of unity and togetherness.
He said he began the piece in 2021, while his wife was expecting their son, and completed it this year following the birth of their second child, a daughter.
"It's a piece about a lot of conflict and bunkering down on what matters most and, being one with your unit at home, despite the chaos in the world," he said.
"There's a lot of war and violence in the background of the picture, but in the foreground, it's my family and me. We're together, and we're strong and we're firm."
A look inward
Creating the new exhibition required more than technical skill — it was also an experiment on personal identity, he said.
“Before you publicize your life, you have so many questions about yourself,” he said. “Fear, doubt, insecurity — that’s what you see first.”
But during the past five years, Collazo said he saw the things he always believed he could become.
"I know who I am now, and these paintings show it."Dylan Collazo on his newest exhibition
“Someone from middle school told me recently, ‘You used to say wild things about what you’d accomplish — and you said it with conviction.’
"Back then, I hadn’t really been tested. The pandemic tested me. And after that? I proved it.
“I know who I am now. And these paintings show it.”
Friday's opening reception will transform the gallery into a sensory experience, featuring live music with local musicians Ricky Delgado and Heartheaded, as well as the GT3 Jazz Quartet.
"I wanted to have two bands because a lot of this show is about duality," Collazo said. "I have a very stark duality about me, and during the coordination of the show, I wanted to build that in.
"Ricky Delgado does these acoustic riffs, and they kind of blend in on one another.
"Then the GT3 Quartet is a group that I was watching at art shows for years, before I had kids. And then when I had kids, I would take them to these shows, and my kids loved their music. I love the way that they provide a rhythm."
To learn more about Dylan Collazo's artwork, visit his website.
