Philadelphia-based artist Roberto Lugo is renowned for his vibrant and poignant reinterpretations of 18th-and 19th-century porcelain objects which he reimagines through the lens of contemporary hip-hop culture. With overt references to classical forms and traditional decorative styles, Lugo’s vessels are canvases for his hand-painted creations often embellished with graffiti, allover colorful patterning, and gilded elements in his distinctive street style. Lugo’s work centers figures—from self-portraits to family members and well-known historical heroes—whose visages do not often adorn fine porcelain. On “Digable Underground,” opposing portraits of the abolitionist Harriet Tubman and hip-hop artist and songwriter Erykah Badu anchor the raised vessel, their faces surrounded by hand modeled rosettes painted gold on a bright polychrome ground that includes registers of graphic patterns including kente cloth designs, Greek key, and his tag, “Chelo,” a reference to the artist’s cousin who taught him graffits, encirlces the base, along with the initial “r” for his tag, “Robske.” In this work Lugo gives homage to two powerful women whose lives are defined by their activism. Merging past and present while boldly redressing the historical record, the artist’s practice celebrates and elevates the contributions of his subjects whose stories are too often absent from such luxury wares.