Aaron Santos Boyd-Rochman

Queer Jew-lipino (Jewish Filipino), American artist, Aaron Santos Boyd-Rochman, uses overlooked objects as the base material for his work: printed materials, matchsticks, toothpicks, and clothespins, for example. Beginning with a vision for the piece, through his sculptural process he uses these mundane items to create complex structures suffused with natural rhythm and movement. These extravagant, organic, labyrinthine sculptures evoke multiple dualities. Stillness and movement. Structure and entropy. Order and chaos. Solace and uncertainty. His work is imbued with the energy of matter, life, and decay.He is influenced by the many experiences he’s had living and traveling around the world. Born in the Philippines, he has been inspired by traditional arts, such as Filipino basket weaving and textiles. His work is also influenced by the natural colors painted by Georgia O’Keefe; the organic architecture of Santiago Calatrava; and the visual language of assemblage artists like Louise Nevelson.

Boyd-Rochman holds a masters degree from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. He finds inspiration from his previous life working with marginalized populations. He has worked with queer people; people living with HIV/AIDS; racial/ethnic minorities; the elderly; people living with substance use disorders; and the undomiciled. His work references social and cultural issues that affect us all. He has shown artistic sensibilities from a very early age and continues his passion for creating, which has blossomed into a career. Since making the life altering decision to pursue his artistic career full time, he has won competitions and has had opportunities to show his work around the world.