Ocho Rios is a large-scale oil painting that captures a picturesque viewpoint in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, rendered in striking colours and abstract forms that vividly portray the vibrancy of the Caribbean landscape. Palm trees sway against cerulean pools, creating an idealised vision of paradise that Perez draws from vintage travel advertisements and brochures from the 1960s to the 1990s, a period when such imagery was heavily used to promote the allure and promise of the island. As with much of Perez’s work, Ocho Rios examines the intersections of architecture, geography, and colonialism, enmeshing traditions of printmaking and oil painting to critique the consumerism inherent in these idealised depictions. Through Ocho Rios, Perez reflects on who benefits from these visions of paradise and who is excluded, reflecting what he terms the “dream of abundance,” where moonlit hotels, luxury items, and serene pools embody the fantasy of escape and leisure. Yet beneath this facade, Perez gestures to the broader implications of tourism—an industry that, while driving economic growth, also acts as a force of cultural and environmental change, shaped by the enduring legacy of colonialism, and reflecting how romanticised imagery of tropical paradises targeted at Western tourists often perpetuates historical inequalities and power imbalances. This romanticisation contributes to the process of ‘othering,’ which continues to affect the Caribbean. Through Ocho Rios, Perez draws a parallel between the tourism sector and its implications in his native Puerto Rico, exploring themes of displacement and the complexities of heritage through drawing parallels between the tourism-driven development of both islands and the effects on their local communities.