Co-Founder

Adrián Viajero Román is an interdisciplinary artist and advocate living and working between Brooklyn, NY, and the island-archipelago of Puerto Rico. His practice spans portraiture, assemblage, installation, painting, and sculpture, and explores issues of race, migration, memory, sacred materiality, and identity. Through his signature fusion of drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation, Román reimagines traditional portraiture by creating environments that offer potent cultural and historical context for understanding the current socio-political issues faced by Puerto Rican community members on the island and in New York City. He is as dedicated to paying homage to complex narratives of collective and individual strength, resistance, resilience, and dignity as he is committed to confronting the systemic issues his communities are up against.

Román was a finalist in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Portrait Competition in 2016, and the winner of the Outwin’s 2016 People’s Choice Award. He has presented solo exhibitions at the El Museo Del Barrio, New York, NY; Seed on Diamond Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; Blind Whino Gallery, Washington DC; Este Lado De Paraíso Taller Puertoriqueño, Philadelphia, PA; ArtWhino, National Harbor MD; Ashay Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; and Galeria Candela, San Juan, PR.

Román has exhibited in group shows at the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; the Nathan Cummings Foundation, New York, NY; the Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, NC; El Museo del Barrio, New York, NY; Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO; Museum of South Texas, Corpus Cristi, TX; Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA; African American Museum, Philadelphia PA; Sala Municipal De Exposiciones De San Sebastián, San Sebastian, PR; and the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, Chicago, IL; Caguas Museum of Art, Caguas, PR; and the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, New York NY, among others.

He completed a residency with Google X in 2016, and a Facebook Artist in Residency in 2017 with a permanent installation at their NYC headquarters.

Co-Founder

Over the last decade, Christian Mártir has spread his love for his culture everywhere from Madison Square Garden to Mexico City. His work as a DJ has led him to collaborate with a number of labels including the iconic Fania Records, Daptone, Fat Beats, and Big Crown, and mentioned in publications such as The New York Times and Vogue. He held court for six years, along with his partners, at his monthly "A Party Called Rosie Perez" a spinoff of his "Pa'lante! NYC" party.

In 2014 he founded Sociedad Records through which he released a strong catalog that includes a series of rare recordings from the golden era of salsa and the emerging sounds of Latinx NY.

In 2018 he launched Sociedad a creative group of handpicked curators that highlight the emerging artists and cultures of tomorrow. Sociedad has partnered and consulted with various brands including HBO Latino, Nike, and Reebok.

Producer/Curator

Natashia Betancourt is an art dealer and independent curator specializing in contemporary art with an emphasis on emerging artists. hHer eponymous gallery and project space NXT1 was founded on a mission to support under-resourced talent, and provides studio space, support services, and management to help artists expand their practice into sustainable careers. In addition, she helps bring meaningful commercial art projects to life through creative production. Natashia earned a BA in Art History from FIU in Miami, FL.