Born and raised in Santurce, San Juan, Angel Otero was 23 when he left Puerto Rico, in 2004, for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Layers of memory, especially from childhood, come alive quite literally in his work. Otero first paints on plexiglass, then scrapes off the dried material, places it on a canvas, and collages the canvas with wet paint. In a new exhibition titled “That First Rain in May,” Otero uses painting and sculpture to transform familiar objects—a couch, a kiddie pool, a waterslide—into scenes full of magic and story. “[The objects] are sort of a trampoline to things way deeper,” says Otero. “A stage to bring in memories, thoughts, questions, and open towards the unknown.” —Paulina Prosnitz