Portrait of Angel Otero. Photo: Javier Romero
Book Launch & Talk: Angel Otero and Randy Kennedy on the release of the new monograph ‘Angel Otero’
On the occasion of New York Art Book Fair and celebrating the release of ‘Angel Otero’ by Hauser & Wirth Publishers, please join artist Angel Otero for a conversation with Ursula magazine’s Editor in Chief Randy Kennedy at Hauser & Wirth 18th Street.
After gaining attention for his experimental abstract oil paintings in the early 2010s, the Puerto Rican artist Angel Otero began to pursue a bold new direction, merging his acclaimed form of abstraction with figurative elements to create multilayered, dreamlike scenes that synthesize the observed and the imagined into powerful meditations on memory and identity. This book explores recent developments in the artist’s work, culminating in his highly anticipated 2026 exhibition at Hauser & Wirth in Somerset. Alongside insightful essays by curators Tobias Ostrander and John Tain, a conversation between Otero and curator Julie Rodrigues Widholm explores the artist’s singular practice in his own words, while studio photography documents his labor-intensive process of layering, peeling, and collaging oil paint.
Copies of ‘Angel Otero’ will be available for purchase at the event. Angel Otero will be available to sign books after the reading.
This event is free; however, reservations are required.
About Angel Otero
Angel Otero’s practice is known for employing highly innovative techniques that challenge the parameters of his materials, revealing the intrinsic qualities of paint. His works are rooted in abstract image making and engage with ideas of memory through addressing art history, as well as his own lived experience. His signature mode of storytelling evokes the ways in which household objects become personified through the lens of memory. These objects, seemingly quotidian at first glance, take on the role of surrogates for family members and moments from the artist’s past.
About Ursula Magazine
Ursula is a quarterly magazine published by Hauser & Wirth that celebrates the artistic achievement and creativity of the gallery's artists and those beyond. Through the printed magazine, digital content platform and live programs, Ursula champions artistic practices that challenge and interrogate the future, highlighting a diverse range of contemporary culture that Hauser & Wirth finds compelling. Featuring stories from the worlds of art, design, film, books, food, and sustainability, Ursula invites readers to think critically, ask questions, and engage with the ideas shaping our world. Written in a sophisticated yet accessible style, Ursula appeals to a broad, inquisitive readership, from dedicated insiders to curious observers. ‘It has always been our mission to make the gallery a home for our artists where other thinkers, writers, and visionaries can also gather and engage,’ gallery President Iwan Wirth told Artnet News. ‘Now Ursula will be an editorial home as well, a truly global magazine that reflects our philosophy.’
