Suddenly an Eclipse depicts the conflicting relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico. The monumental size of the U.S. Capitol against a golden sky transmits the power status of the United States, while on the lower part, a decapitated head screams. 

This piece combines three key elements seen in Roche’s work throughout his career, all of them alluding to the political and identity problems of the island of Puerto Rico: The Capitol in D.C., where Puerto Rico is not represented, the lace fabric in the curtains, a strong element of Puerto Rican cultural identity, and a decapitated head, embodying the island of Puerto Rico, separated from the U.S. and Latin America due to its status. 

The shaded sun eclipsing the contour of the Capitol and the leaves falling seem to be a premonition. Suddenly an eclipse is an allegory of the U.S. power eclipsed so Puerto Rico can be heard.

The topic of the U.S. Capitol and the sun eclipse is also seen in an earlier work Under a Total Eclipse of the Sun, 1991, Museo de Arte de Ponce. On this occasion, Roche-Rabell shows the imposition of the U.S. hegemony in Puerto Rico.

Exhibited in the traveling exhibition Tras la pérdida de las colonias, 1998-2000.                                                                                     Centro Cultural, Manila, The Philippines; Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico; Castillo del Morro, Havana, Cuba; Museo Extremeño e Iberoamericano de Arte Contemporáneo, Badajoz, Spain.