Roldy Aguero Ablao in the Artist Studio

Artist Statement

My work explores the intersections of identity, environment, queerness and futurism through the lens of my Chamorro and mixed race heritage. I aim to create spaces where ancestral knowledge meets contemporary expression, remembering narratives of Indigenous identity in ways that are both reflective, playful and adventurous. Through visual arts, fashion, installation, and curatorial projects, plus workshops that bring the arts into community, my work looks to challenge stereotypes and amplify the voices of Pacific Islanders within the US and the rest of Oceania.

The concept of belonging runs deeply through my practice, reflecting the experiences of diaspora and displacement shaped by colonization and environmental change. At the same time, my work celebrates resilience, imagining futures grounded in Indigenous practices, ceremonies and creative innovation and stewardship of land and sea. I believe art is a powerful tool for dialogue and change, inviting people to engage with global issues like rising seas and cultural erasure from a personal and human perspective.

Whether I’m curating exhibits, organizing community events, or designing queer indigenous fashion, my goal is to foster connections across generations and geographies. I hope to inspire others to rethink what it means to belong and to envision a future where Indigenous voices are not only heard but guide the way. My art is an offering and ceremony —one rooted in heritage, shaped by the present, and looking in prayer toward what’s next.

About the Artist

Roldy Aguero Ablao (he/they) is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and cultural practitioner from Guam, now based in Seattle, WA. Grounded in their Chamorro and Micronesian heritage, their work explores identity, climate change, and futurism, blending ancestral knowledge with contemporary practices to reimagine Indigenous narratives.

Roldy has brought together thought-provoking exhibitions at the Wing Luke Museum, working with Pacific Islander communities to uplift and cultivate stories of resilience, migration, and belonging. Their projects address environmental and social issues, drawing connections between Oceania’s struggles and the global diaspora. In the fashion world, Roldy pushes boundaries through Guma’ Gela’ (a queer and trans Chamorro artist collective based in the NW and on the islands), creating runway shows and exhibitions that reclaim space for Indigenous and Pacific voices. They became the first Chamorro artists to present at London Pacific Fashion Week, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and the Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum, the only Pacific Islander museum in the continental US. Their designs weave traditional elements with modern aesthetics, challenging stereotypes while honoring Pacific artistry here in the US and back on the islands.

With a deep commitment to community, Roldy’s work hopes to foster dialogue, inspire imagination, and challenge mainstream narratives through collective reclamation, reindigenization and remembering of history and culture, place and time. Through exhibitions, fashion shows, visual art and installations, they invite others to envision Indigenous and Pacific futures shaped by creativity, connection and transformation. Their work is a prayer to cultural empowerment and environmental stewardship, honoring ancestral legacies while paving new paths for indigenous narratives to thrive, for those today and the generations after.