Meet Rolando Chang Barrero

Meet Rolando Chang Barrero—entrepreneur, visual artist, and road-tripping rebel.  

With a camera in one hand and a map of weird, wild stops in the other, he’s the creative force behind Travel with Rolando. A fabulously curious and unapologetically restless LGBTQ+ explorer, Rolando chases quirky roadside attractions, budget-friendly RV camps, and offbeat beauty from Marfa to Madrid.

A painter of canvases, now a curator of journeys, he follows forgotten highways where cactus blooms whisper secrets and neon motel signs glow like constellations. A natural storyteller with sun-warmed skin and starlit dreams, Rolando doesn’t just travel—he transforms every dusty detour into a destination.

Travel with Rolando is more than a journey—it’s a pilgrimage of passion, pavement, and poetry.

Rolando Chang Barrero’s journey began in the electric heart of Miami’s infamous club days, where as a young artist and fashion model  he thrived in a world pulsing with creativity, rebellion, and cultural transformation. From painting and filmmaking in the underground scene to becoming a respected force in the art world, Rolando eventually founded ActivistArtistA and The Box Art Gallery—a bold, award-winning spaces celebrated for cutting-edge exhibitions and his commitment to emerging and marginalized voices. 

At the height of his career in 1993, at age 32,  Rolando Chang Barrero’s life took a dramatic turn when he was diagnosed with brain cancer—a battle that hurled him from artistic acclaim into a harrowing abyss. These dark days would tun out to be turn into more than a decade and a half before his resolve to embrace life again and return to the art world at age 47.

 But through resilience, reinvention, and an unshakable creative spirit, Rolando emerged not only as a survivor, but as a celebrated cultural leader, talk show host, community activist, columnist, and acclaimed visual artist.

The journey continues...
Now at age 62 he has retired from curating, his legacy lives on through his gallery's impact, as he trades white walls for open roads in his next creative chapter in an RV called "Marfa" he calls home. 

He continues his journey as an explorer and photographer, chasing curiosities, uncovering hidden beauty, and turning every twist in the road into a new work of art with his two closest partners: his dog Bella and a robot called Cole.