When my colleague and I first met José during our initial studio visit before production for this film began, he told us that things were about to ‘get weird’ in the studio. He had just come out of his first solo show in New York and was pondering what was next. It was a great privilege to work with José in this time of transition and transformation, as he experimented with new materials and found new ways to ground himself in the studio. Our filming started in the summer and spanned all four seasons, and while the natural light shifted and our clothing grew heavier and then lighter again, what remained was the palpable sense of how dedicated José is to the practice, and how meaningful it is to him.
Throughout the production process and our conversations, the word that came up the most is oscillation. José has a deep sense of love for and responsibility to his family, but tries to find an alternative way of being in the world for himself; he has a desire to connect to communities beyond himself, but does not want to be defined by them; he is influenced by certain periods of art history and ways of making, but aspires to challenge and defy them. It was important for me to find ways to hold all these complex and contradictory feelings and ideas in the film.
I’m sure it is difficult to have filmmakers documenting your life to share with the world, and perhaps especially so when you are going through a period of uncertainty and change. I am beyond grateful that José welcomed us in with open arms, and I believe his willingness to be candid and vulnerable made the film especially resonant.
—Andrea Yu-Chieh Chung
Director, “José de Jesús Rodríguez’s Back & Forth”
IMAGES: Production stills from the New York Close Up film, “José de Jesús Rodríguez’s Back & Forth.” © Art21, 2026.
