No Need To Reminisce
SEP 6—OCT 4 2025
OPENING RECEPTION: SEP 6 2025, 6—11 PM
Liv Gallery is pleased to announce 'No Need To Reminisce,' a solo show by Adrian Bermeo on view September 6—October 4, 2025, framing heritage and ancestry not as distant relics or chronicles, but as a cyclical presence of protection and knowledge—survived by communal exchanges and cultural preservation.
In No Need To Reminisce, visual artist Adrian Bermeo responds to the erasure of cultural histories and marginalized peoples through layered abstraction and obscured commentary. His new paintings—referencing cultural iconography, migratory pathways, and communal exchanges—are as much about what is missing as what remains in society today: exploring themes of lineage, traditions, and familial stories passed down through word and ritual. Reclaiming narratives from a personal and political lens, Bermeo pushes against ethnic cleansing and censorship carried out by the recent administration in the U.S., to propose a subversive-reality—one embedded with cyclical legacies of ancestral presence and wisdom. While referencing his own lived experiences and findings as a native New Yorker of Puerto Rican-Ecuadorian heritage, Bermeo prompts audiences to reflect and reconcile with an irrefutable truth: intergenerational knowledge and identity has endured for centuries—despite divisive tools of legislation, propaganda, and colonial advancements.
Inspired by communal rituals, No Need To Reminisce emphasizes the continuity of ancestral presence through shared experiences—eating, playing, dancing to music, exchanging stories, and finding joy even amidst violence against one’s ethnicity or political standing. Referred to by the artist as “ancestral landscapes,” his new topographical abstractions symbolize intergenerational happenings of migrations without clear beginnings or ends. The juxtaposed compositions and overlapping layers echo family trees and tangled sagas, resembling train-maps which loop inward and outward like the folds of a box. Included in these renditions of connection are individual domino pieces painted on canvas, winding interconnected pieces across the gallery wall—referencing a totem of refuge and pride in Caribbean traditions. Painted in Bermeo’s tactile style—using spray paint, acrylic, and coffee grounds—the domino chip becomes a humble symbol of gathering, where generations share stories and necessary time together.
This exhibition marks the artist’s first solo show with the gallery and holds deep personal significance, rooted to his maternal great-grandparents’ arrival to Delancey Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in 1938. While offsetting colonial legacies that haunt much of human history, No Need To Reminisce invites viewers into a space of reflection—one that emphasizes the power of shared experience, ancestral memory, and cultural preservation in the face of conformity. Rather than treating the past as something lost, Bermeo affirms that our ancestors remain with us—living, guiding, and reminding us that we already carry the strength to endure and rebuild together: for you very existence is living proof.
— Adrian Bermeo, 2025
About Artist | @bermeonyc
Adrian Bermeo (b. 1989, Queens, NY) is a Puerto Rican-Ecuadorian visual artist and curator. He has studied at Liga De Arte, San Juan, Puerto Rico; SVA; and Hunter College, NY, NY. Bermeo has served as a fellow teaching artist for MoMA, 2023; QNS Collaborative, 2024; and Flushing Town Hall, 2025. He has exhibited work with Local Project Art Space, 2017; Mana Contemporary, 2019; Novado Gallery, 2020; The Queens Museum, 2020; Art House, 2021; All Street NYC, 2022; 17 Frost Gallery, 2023; Elm Foundation, 2024; and The Bronx Museum, 2025; among others.
About Liv Gallery | @_livgallery
Liv Gallery is committed to supporting and showcasing emerging artists while fostering an inclusive and vibrant community for creatives in New York City. Situated in the heart of the Lower East Side, Manhattan, the gallery serves as a spirited platform where innovation is nurtured, meaningful connections are cultivated, and artistic passions are celebrated. Through thoughtfully curated exhibitions, engaging programs, and strategic partnerships, Liv Gallery uplifts both new and established voices in contemporary art. The gallery’s mission goes beyond presentation—it seeks to build a thriving cultural ecosystem that inspires dialogue, supports creative growth, and welcomes artists, collectors, and art enthusiasts alike. At Liv Gallery, creativity is not only displayed, but actively lived, shared, and cherished.
CONTACT
For press enquiries please contact: bermeonyc@gmail.com
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