Second Thurday: Conducting Connections II with Raúl Romero

Join Philadelphia-based sound artist Raúl Romero for Second Thursday late night gallery hours from 6-8 PM at Studio 105 at Ray Philly (1525 N. American Street, #105). Romero will be leading visitors though a second iteration of, Conducting Connections: A Sound Activation, an activation of his sculpture hosted by the Fabric Workshop and Museum in 2023.

During the experiment, Romero will sonify his sculpture Sounding Brass by translating the bio data generated by participants into a soundscape in real-time. Visitors will be invited to join hands to create a human circuit and listen as the electrical energy flowing through their conjoined hands is transmitted into and out of the sculpture.

Romero will also be available to answer questions about his solo exhibition starting at 6 PM and the participatory sound experiment will start at 6:30 PM, on a first-come-first-serve basis (capacity restriction of 15 participants) so RSVP is recommended. A second experiment may run after the first if the demand is there.

Sound Check features a revolving set of Romero’s inventive sound sculptures, which will be rotated in and out during the exhibition's run from June 21 to August 22, 2025, and displayed alongside a new series of sound pictures. The exhibition restages previously exhibited sculptures in time with the release of two publications featuring Romero’s Onomonopoetics of a Puerto Rican Landscape: “Vaivén 21st-Century Art of Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora”, edited by Teréz Iacovino and José López Serra, and “Nuyorican and Diasporican Visual Art: A Critical Anthology”, edited by Arlene Dávila and Yasmin Ramirez.

The exhibition is on view from June 21-August 22, 2025. For purchase inquiries or more information, please reach out to Studio 105 at Ray Philly [email protected]. Any commission generated off of artwork sold will be re-invested in sustaining this free, publically-accessible art space.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Raúl Romero is an artist whose practice explores the intercommunication between people and the environment. Drawing from technological histories, communication tools, ancient artifacts, sound production tools, instruments, and his Puerto Rican ancestry, Romero examines how sound acts as a bridge connecting the past, present, and future. His work investigates themes of nostalgia, the exploitation of colonialism, and environmental impact, presenting sound as a dynamic force that can be heard, seen, and physically felt through vibration. Romero holds an MFA in Sculpture from the Yale University School of Art and is a member of the Vox Populi Gallery artist collective. His work has been exhibited at institutions including The Fabric Workshop and Museum and Taller Puertorriqueño in Philadelphia, Locust Projects in Miami, The Kitchen in New York, the Denver Contemporary Art Museum, Transformer Gallery in Washington D.C., Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, as well as in Florida at The Contemporary Art Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, and the Tampa Museum of Art.

ABOUT STUDIO 105 at RAY PHILLY

Studio 105 at Ray Philly is a rotating exhibition space located on the ground floor of Ray Philly in South Kensington, Philadelphia. Located in one of the building’s six ground floor artist studios, Studio 105 at Ray Philly is a place for residents, artist studio members, and the larger community to see art, and attend a workshop, talk, or local vendor pop-up. The space acts as a platform for local artists and curators to participate in global dialogues and for global artists to share new perspectives here at home. .

Press Contact

Anaïs Cooper-Hackman

[email protected]

646-656-2828

Ray Philly

Attn: Studio 105

1525 N American Street, #105

Philadelphia, PA 19122

www.rayphilly.place

Exhibition Hours

Wednesday - Sunday, 12-6 PM

Enter through Ulises bookstore, studio 104

Host or Publisher Ray Philly