HOME  >  ARTISTS  >  JOSé A. ALVARADO JR.
Artist José A. Alvarado Jr. photographed by Reece T. Williams

José A. Alvarado Jr.

Contact

Website

I am dedicated to documenting class inequality, civic engagement, and contemporary issues in Puerto Rico and New York City. I work primarily in long-form storytelling, using visual imagery as a bridge to help raise awareness of the struggles and hardships impacting individuals and communities immersed in positions where they feel trapped, violated, and unable to escape. Through this devotion to in-depth projects, my goal is to spread awareness, begin discussions between affected communities and their audience members, and discover strategies to navigate these challenging elements in our societies.

-

A New York native, José A. Alvarado Jr. (b. 1989) is a Puerto Rican documentary photographer, currently based in New York City. His personal work consists of documenting sub-cultures, politics, and the relationship between Puerto Rico and the US.

Featured Artwork

"Maria Antonia Cay, who many know as “Toñita”, stands for a portrait inside the Caribbean Social Club she runs, one of the last Puerto Rican hangouts in New York City, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City."
José A. Alvarado Jr. Toñitas, 2023. Photograph, 20 x 30. Photographed by José A. Alvarado Jr. for The New York Times
"My cousin, Eliam, cools off in a small pool of water after hiking down from our grandfather Horacio’s home, in the barrio of Dajaos. The barrio is named after the small fish that frequent the streams in the area. Villalba, Puerto Rico, July 2018."
José A. Alvarado Jr. La Isla Del Encanto, 2018. Photograph, 20 x 30. Photographed by José A. Alvarado Jr.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez covers her mouth in disbelief in a pink-tinted Park Billiards Cafe.
José A. Alvarado Jr. Soap Box in the Bronx, 2018. Photograph, 20 x 30. Photographed by José A. Alvarado Jr.

Resources

On Both Sides of the Lens: Documenting the Puerto Rican Diaspora