A selection of new works made by Isa Rodriguez as Artist in Residence at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center’s Studio School in 2025 and 2026 (ongoing).
Kanaasu Drawings (2026 – ongoing)
Things Build Upon Each Other (Pa’ralouas) is a series of drawings based on Wayuu kanaasu, a language of abstract patterns that represent cultural knowledge and values.
This particular design, named Pa’ralouas, translates to “All that is on top of the other” and represents the building blocks of physical reality.
I use this symbol to explore relationships between color and gesture, choosing palettes inspired by pop art, color field paintings, and Queer visual culture.
Things Build Upon Each Other – Pa’ralouas (2026 – ongoing) 22” x 30” each, color pencil, acrylic ink and alcohol ink on toned paper.
Irama (2026)
Irama is the wayuunaiki word for deer.
This drawing illustrates a myth in which deer suddenly disappear, causing drought and starvation.
A talented young hunter tracks the missing animals into the spirit-realm, where he makes a deal with Pulowi, a dangerous wilderness goddess. The hunter is transformed into a deer and leads the animals back to the hunting grounds, sacrificing his humanity to ensure the survival of his people.
This drawing places the audience in the
hunter’s vantage point. Surrounded by meticulously drawn details, the missing deer become a strange, ghostly mass either walking away from or toward the viewer.
Irama (2026) by Isa Rodriguez
Mixed media drawing in in colored pencil and alcohol and acrylic ink on toned paper, 40×50 inches
Kanaa (2025)
Ceramic sculpture made of red and white stoneware, soda-fired. 12 x 10 x 5 inches
Kanaasu is a slab-built ceramic sculpture made from red and white stoneware.
It takes its name from traditional Wayuu weaving motifs called “kanaasu”, an abstract visual language of shapes and colors that represent Wayuu myths and cultural ideas.
The shape of this piece is from the kanaasu called “Pa’raloua”, which means “One stacks on top of the other” or “That which builds on each other”.
Los dos (Both of Us), 2025
In Los dos (Both of Us), I recreate a pre-Columbian leg-shaped effigy vessel using my leg as a model. The original leg effigy is from the Maracaibo Basin, a region inhabited by my indigenous ancestors since time immemorial. When displayed together, the pair stride across time, illustrating an artistic lineage spanning thousands of years.
Ceramic leg sculpture made of red and white stoneware, soda-fired (left).
Pre-Columbian ceramic leg effigy decorated with polychrome slip (right)
Ceramic leg sculpture made of red and white stoneware, soda-fired (left).
Pre-Columbian ceramic leg effigy decorated with polychrome slip (right)
This pieces is part of a series called Ya llegué (I’ve Arrived), which includes sculptures, photographs, and drawings created in collaboration with the leg vessel and the ancestral spirits it carries. This body of work invites audiences to consider their histories of migration–recent and ancient–and participate in imagining paths to liberation and belonging.
Kalaira (2024 – 2026)
Kalaira is a series of drawings of Jaguars living on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Jaguar, or “Kalaira” in the Wayunaiki language, is a demon-god of survival, hunting and fear, whose spots were burned onto their body in a firestorm. They are symbols of queerness, matrilineal leadership, strength, and intelligence. The titles come from events in Kalaira’s myths.
These drawings reference remote trail-camera images of jaguars migrating between Mexico and Arizona, responding to conversations about migration, territory, and boundaries.
Large scale mixed media drawing of a jaguar. Acrylic, oil-based and alcohol inks on toned paper. 75×45 inches
Large scale mixed media drawing of a jaguar. Acrylic, oil-based and alcohol inks on toned paper. 90×45 inches
Large scale mixed media drawing of a jaguar. Acrylic, oil-based and alcohol inks on toned paper. 75×45 inches