GUELMO ROSA

“Im trying to be that person I needed to have in my life growing up ”

Guelmo Rosa | Co-Founder

Who is Guelmo Rosa?

Guelmo Rosa is a Queer-Rican born In Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx. When he was 15, his parents moved back to Puerto Rico to look after their sick parents. Rosa’s new surroundings produced many challenges which he struggled to get used to. In order to survive, Rosa had to protect himself by guarding who he was and his art from his very small town and community.

After earning two Bachelor’s degrees, one in education as an English Teacher and the second as a fine arts painter from The School Of Plastic Arts of Old San Juan, he moved back to NY in 2012 and has been exploring his sexuality and fetishes through different mediums in his art.

Guelmo attempted a painting career in NYC, but after 4 years and the intense competition frustrated him. Through his struggles he found a new medium that captivated him; metals. He began working for a costume design company who were the only ones to dare take a chance on him. Learning new techniques and materials, he became obsessed with metals, jewelry and multimedia. He was able to experiment with various types of metals and began to draw with brass wire. Guelmo had such a positive reaction to his wire drawings, it motivated him to make his series which he sold at the Brooklyn Flea.

Rosa is constantly evolving and changing as he digs deeper into his queerness. Each day he discovers something new about himself and utilizes his craft as the medium through which he expresses and shares his personal evolution.

To live as his authentic self is to allow himself to continue exploring his queerness. The artist is focused on taking his mistakes and learning from them, and to be as unapologetic as possible while navigating through this world so that he can continue to stay strong for future generations.

In this latest collection titled “cumming back to you” Rosa digs deep into his roots and dared to pick up the paint brush again. A series with lots of colors, mediums and technics that showcase most of what he can create. These new pieces still contain metal elements that are and have been very present throughout the evolution of his work. The chain drips, the pearls, brass drawings and others.