Seattle-based Boricua artist Jo Cosme presents "Welcome to Paradise: ¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!" at ARTS at King Street Station, opening November 6, 2025. The exhibition, which began after Hurricane María displaced Cosme from Borikén/Puerto Rico in 2018, features over 30 Puerto Rican artists and uses the tools of tourism and advertising to expose the island's colonial history, ongoing U.S. control, and disaster capitalism. The show runs through January 10, 2026, with a free opening reception including a Bomba performance by Otoqui Reyes and interactive activations by Shey Rivera.
The exhibition matters because it directly challenges the tourist fantasy of Puerto Rico as a tropical paradise, forcing audiences—especially those from the Global North—to confront their complicity in a colonized land. By centering Puerto Rican voices and expanding beyond Cosme's individual practice, the show aligns with ARTS at King Street Station's mission to increase opportunities for people of color and advance racial equity through art. It also highlights the role of the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture in supporting socially engaged, decolonial art within a municipal framework.