Roberta Marrero

The recorded working language is Spanish. David Bowie, Andy Warhol and Boy George are recorded as an influence. Work by Roberta Marrero is recorded in the collections of Cerdanyola Art Museum. Distinctions recorded are Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts.

• Name — Roberta Marrero • Born — 2 March 1972 • Birthplace — Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain • Died — 17 May 2024 • Place of death — Madrid, Spain • Occupation — Artist, singer, actress

In her works as an illustrator, Roberta Marrero mixed and de-contextualized popular images, giving rise to new meanings, and using the technique of artistic appropriation. For example, in her first published book, Dictadores (2015), she transforms several photographs of icons of totalitarianism with images related to the pop world. She thus shows Mao Zedong surrounded by characters whose faces have been covered by Hello Kitty heads, and presents a portrait of Francisco Franco made up with a lightning bolt on his face, in the style of David Bowie on the cover of Aladdin Sane. With this publication, the artist stated that her intention was to "Vandalize a fascist message and turn it into another one of freedom." In her 2016 book El bebé verde: infancia, transexualidad y héroes del pop, a graphic novel with a prologue by the writer Virginie Despentes, Marrero collects memories of her childhood and her transsexuality, explaining how the worldview of various artists from pop music, literature, and cinema inspired her, especially Boy George. The main themes in her work are power, death, fame, love, and politics. In addition to exhibiting in Spanish galleries such as "La Fiambrera" in Madrid, some of her works have been included in exhibitions such as David Bowie Is, organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and Piaf, at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Joe Dallesandro, model, actor, and star of Andy Warhol's The Factory, chose one of her illustrations for limited edition t-shirts. Precisely, the author pointed to Warhol as her main influence. In addition, she sampled from the Fauvist movement, expressionism, surrealism, Catholic religious painting, classical Hollywood, and punk. In 2016, Marrero denounced British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood on Social Media, claiming that one of her works had been plagiarized on a shirt sold through Westwood's website. The designer and her husband Andreas Kronthaler responded that the image had been copied without knowledge that it was a work by a contemporary artist. As a musician, Marrero released two electropop albums and worked as a DJ at several Spanish clubs.

Marrero died by suicide in Madrid on 17 May 2024, at the age of 52.

• Descongélate! (2003), directed by Dunia Ayaso and Félix Sabroso