José "Quique" Rivera Rivera
San Juan, PR, 1986
Biography Details
Sculptor, photographer, film animator and audiovisual director. Holds a Bachelor's degree in Audiovisual Communication with a second major in Sculpture from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (2008) and earned a master's degree in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts (2014) where he received the LAIKA Annual Scholarship 2013-2014 (CalArts) . During his college years he began to experiment and teach himself stop-motion animation, a discipline where sculpture, photography and storytelling would come together into what has become his art medium of choice. Rivera has participated in multiple solo and group exhibitions and festivals locally and internationally where he has been the recipient of multiple awards and honors. His work draws from visual metaphors sometimes influenced by the surrealism of the Czech animated film, where social commentary disguised as fantasy is ever present.
Artist Statement
The goal of an artist is to express through sensory images, the way he/she visualizes, imagines or thinks about a specific subject. Imagination, on the other hand, is a living entity, always in motion and in constant transformation. Through animation, a medium that also allows movement over the course of time, I can recreate and reinterpret 'vividly' concepts that occur in my mind, with all their imperfections, exaggerations, designs, aesthetics and integrated rhythms. Using stop motion animation I can share scenes from my imagination as vividly as I visualize them. In this discipline, the most improbable and strange scenes are possible, which emerge in the purest version that I imagined. Using objects and sculptures as props, I strive to take advantage of the surrealistic potential of stop motion animation to recreate environments charged (loaded) with metaphors of contemporary experiences.
-José Quique Rivera
Formation
Education
2014
- MFA Experimental Animation. California Institute for the Arts (CalArts), California, United States
2008
- BFA Audiovisual Communication; Minor in Sculpture. University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Sculpture workshop. Global Stone Workshop, Carrara, Italia
Professional Experience
2019-2020
- Director of animated sequences in "American Masters: Rita Moreno The Girl Who Decided to Go for It". The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
2019
- Director and animator of stop motion elements for the show’s pilot test "Alex Hirsch’s Untitled Project". Netflix
- Director and animator of intro and promotional clip. Cinefiesta Festival, Puerto Rico
2018
- “Ojalá” Puerto Rican Lottery Commercial. Lotería Electrónica de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
- Animator for Quaker Oatmeal commercial. Open the Portal Studio, California, United States
2017
- Animation supervisor. Quaker oatmeal
- Director of animated sequence in "Disjointed" series, episode 112. Netflix
2016
- Director and animator for Disney’s ‘Funko Friends for Change”, (Public service announcement). Disney
- Director and animator of “Dolor”, an animation short for Ileana Cabra’s “Ilevitable.
- Director and animator for Disney Toy Adventures: Star Darlings stop motion music videos. Disney
2015
- Instructor, workshop ‘El Objeto Vivo: Un taller de animación stop motion con Quique Rivera Rivera’. University of Puerto Rico, Carolina Campus, Carolina, Puerto Rico
2014-2015
- Director, writer and animator for “Uni’s adventures on the Moon”, a YouTube series developed by Angelicvm Team as part of their their participation in the Google Lunar XPrize
2014
- Resource person, Día de las profesiones en las artes y museos. Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Independent stop motion animator for Dasani, Target and Waggin’ Train commercials. Brand New School, Los Angeles, California, United States
2013-2014
- Director, animator, builder, photographer and producer of the animated musical video “Así de grandes son las ideas” from Calle 13.
2013
- Juror, animation category. New Orleans Film Festival, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
- Director and animator, MTV episode, Digital, Rock Stories:How to drop a skinhead with LCD
- Soundystems. MTV Networks, New York, United States
2012
- Direction, animation and conceptualization of animated logo. Pimienta Film Co., San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011
- Direction and animation for promotional stop motion short film. Abracadabra Local Counter Café, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Teacher, animation workshops. Summer Camp, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2012-2011
- Instructor, creative workshops of animation, sculpture and creation of mold s. Y no había luz, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2009-2010
- Puppeteer. En Sobre la mesa, miniature puppet show organized by Deborah Hunt, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
2019-2020
- Floating Timeline: Quique Rivera Rivera, Museum of Latin American Art, California, United States
2015
- Fabricando Tiempo: objetos, procesos y animaciones de Quique Rivera Rivera, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011
- Menuda Urbe, Galería Guatíbiri, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2009
- Fábulas de la Selección Artificial, Galería Francisco Oller, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Group Shows
2012-2013
- Concrete Illusions, Abrazo Interno Gallery, Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center, New York; Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
2012
- Equipaje compartido, Galería Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Fotorama, Galería Sietesieteocho, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
2011-2012
- Carry-On: Puerto Rico Inspected, Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, Boston; Abrazo Interno Gallery, Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center, New York; Institute of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture (IPRAC), Chicago, Illinois, United States
2011
- Puntociego, Galería Sietesieteocho, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
- Certámen de Fotografía Contemporánea, Galería de las Artes, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2010
- Instalaciones, Construcciones y Ensamblajes, 5to Aniversario de Área, Área: Lugar de Proyectos, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Aún: Ciudad en entredicho, Inaguración del proyecto Ciudadela, Plaxo Art, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Propuestas en papel, Galería Francisco Oller, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2009
- Chiquitolina, Centro Curatorial La15, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2008
- Cruce súbito, Plaxo Art, Harmonie, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
- Expo Graduandos 08, Galería Francisco Oller, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
2020
- Best animation Award Honorable Mention. Venice Film Awards, Venice, Italy
2019
- Winner of Animation Silver Award. Festival Nacional de Publicidad Cúspide, Puerto Rico
2016
- Fellowship. United States Artists organization, United States
2015
- Jury's Citation 2nd Prize, “Así de grandes son las ideas” videoclip. 34th Annual Black Maria Film Festival, New York, United States
- Second place in Animation Category for “Así de grandes son las ideas” videoclip. Sunset Film Festival, Los Angeles, California, United StatesPlatinum Award, for “Así de grandes son las ideas” videoclip. International Movie Awards, Jakarta, Indonesia
2014
- Best Animation Award for “Así de grandes son las ideas” videoclip. Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Award, California, United States
- Best Stop Motion Student Animation for “Así de grandes son las ideas” videoclip. Festival Internacional Brasil Stop Motion, Recife, Brazil
2013
- LAIKA Annual Scholarship 2013-2014 (CalArts)
- California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Valencia, California, United States
- Silver Award in the Programming and Best Animation Sub-categories of the Internet Series Categories for “Rock Stories”, Adweek Watch Awards, Nueva York, Estados Unidos
2012
- Grand Jury's Animated Short Award for “El delirio del pez león”. New Orleans Film Festival, Louisiana, United States
- Best National Animation for “El delirio del pez león”. Cinefiesta – Festival Internacional de Cortometraje de Puerto Rico, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Best National Animation for “El delirio del pez león”. Rincón International Film Festival, Rincón, Puerto Rico
2011
- Honorable Mention, Best National Director for “Menuda Urbe”. Cinefiesta – Festival Internacional de Cortometraje de Puerto Rico, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Best National Animation for “Menuda Urbe”. Cinefiesta – Festival Internacional de Cortometraje de Puerto Rico, Caguas, Puerto Rico
- Honorable Mention, for “Menuda Urbe”. Primer Festival de Cortometrajes Ambientales de Cine del Estuario, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2010
- Honorable Mention, for “Menuda Urbe”. SoDak Animation Festival, South Dakota State University, South Dakota, United Sates
2006
- Honorable Mention, for “Tango” script. Cinefiesta – Festival Internacional de Cortometraje de Puerto Rico, Caguas, Puerto Rico
Bibliography
Newspapers
González Pérez, Leyra E. “Fábulas de la selección artificial”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 8 de octubre de 2009, pp. 70-71.
Graciela Díaz, Carmen. “Salvaje reino industrial”. Primera Hora (San Juan, PR), 8 de octubre de 2009, p. 61.
Web
Leonard, H.J. “Una larga semana llena de cortas instancias”. Entre Paréntesis Periódico Digital (San Juan, PR), 1 de agosto de 2012. http://entreparentesis.com/2012/08/una-larga-semana-llena-de-cortas-inst...
“Los retos y gratificaciones del trabajo de Quique Rivera”. Diálogo Periódico Digital (San Juan, PR), 22 de julio de 2014. http://dialogoupr.com/_cultura/cine-y-tv/los-retos-y-gratificaciones-del...
Mejías, Janice. “Las ideas de Quique Rivera Rivera”. Diálogo Periódico Digital (San Juan, PR), 25 de septiembre de 2014. http://dialogoupr.com/_cultura/actualidad/las-ideas-de-quique-y-la-calle...
“Menuda Urbe: exposición de Quique Rivera Rivera”. 80 grados Periódico Digital (San Juan, PR), 26 de mayo de 2011. http://www.80grados.net/menuda-urbe-exposicion-de-quique-rivera-rivera/
“Quique Rivera: Creador de movimiento, espacios y cuerpos”. Diálogo Periódico Digital (San Juan, PR), 29 de marzo de 2011. http://dialogoupr.com/_cultura/cine-y-tv/quique-rivera-creador-de-movimi...
“Quique Rivera lleva su Menuda Urbe a Galería Guatíbiri”. Diálogo Periódico Digital (San Juan, PR), 24 de mayo de 2011. http://dialogoupr.com/_cultura/actualidad/quique-rivera-lleva-su-menuda-...
Vélez, Jean Mitchelle. “Personajes animados de Calle 13 en exhibición”. El Vocero, Edición Digital (San Juan, PR), 17 de abril de 2015. http://elvocero.com/personajes-animados-de-calle-13-en-exhibicion/