(b. Santurce, Puerto Rico, 1967).
For over ten years, Freddie Mercado has engaged in his own brand of guerilla performance work in Puerto Rico, solo intercessions that challenge historical notions of race and gender. His investigation includes his transformation into a variety of feminine dramatis personae, ranging from simple, modest Puerto Rican females, to outlandish historical-baroque confections that frequently incorporate Afro-Caribbean traces uses connotative signs to hyperbolize the signifiers of concepts such as "the feminine," and "the Caribbean." Although photographs are not his primary form, Mercado’s live work can be understood through photographs of two orders: snapshot documentations of his performances, and staged photographic scenes in which Mercado colludes with other artists. In these photographs, one is able to linger over the details of the imaginary Caribbean which he presents. Major exhibitions which have highlighted Mercado’s w
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