Primary is pleased to present The Disappearing Man, a solo exhibition of new works from New York-based artist, Kenny Rivero.

In his first exhibition with Primary, Rivero presents a body of work that touches on the politics of being invisible within social, national, and political contexts as well as in intimate and familial relationships.

"Invisibility or being unseen has always had a stake in the work. Addressing the outside world(s) choice to not see or recognize all the things I am, as well as me being intentional about masking and manipulating a read on my identity.

Whether I internalize ideas regarding my value or actual instances of neglect from others, the motivating factor that informs my decisions to code and veil is not always apparent.

The title "The Disappearing Man," versus something like The Invisible Man, makes more sense with what I am proposing with this work, the balance between being intentional and not. The invisible person tends to lack control over being seen or unseen. While one who disappears may be responding to a threat, but can also navigate their circumstance with some agency."

The work offers viewers a chance to reflect on hope and loss. Through the lens of power, violence, aloneness, intimacy, death, and love, Rivero creates dialogues between a variety of experiences, based both in reality and personal myth-building.

Kenny Rivero (B. 1981, Washington Heights, NY) Kenny Rivero earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2006 and an MFA from the Yale School of Art in 2012. Rivero has been a guest lecturer at El Museo del Barrio, Bennington College, Middlebury College, Williams College, the School of Visual Arts, and Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the recipient of a Doonesbury Award, Robert Schoelkopf Memorial Travel Grant, Rema Hort Mann Foundation Emerging Artist Grant, Visiting Scholar award at New York University, and the Joan Mitchell Emerging Artist Grant.

He has shown at the The Pera Museum, Stedelijk Museum, The Contemporary Art Museum in St Louis, The Pérez Art Museum, The Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling, El Museo del Barrio, and the Delaware Contemporary.

He's participated in residencies such as the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Workspace Program, the Roswell Artist in Residence Program, The Fountainhead Residency, The Skowhegan School for Painting and Sculpture, and The Macedonia Institute. Currently, Rivero is a Lecturer at the Yale School of Art.

Primary. (Est. in 2007. Books Bischof, Cristina Gonzalez, Typoe Gran) is a context & research driven curatorial collective with a focus on public arts. Located in Little River, Miami, our private residence explores modern ideas on the subject of live/work, connecting new voices in contemporary art with growing audiences & collections.