Carlos Ramirez, 2016, Duppy Conqueror Ghost Catcher, Mixed media on canvas, 36 x 36 inches. All images courtesy the artist and New Image Art
Oversized paintings of a sobbing clown king, with shackles on one of his wrists and a scythe balancing in the background, make for a heavily populated tableau. Carlos Ramirez’s Southwest American paintings boast finely paired citrus tones and a deep connection to his culture. Incorporating both the political environment and his affinity for pop references, Ramirez’s solo show, titled Complejo de Cristo y Vampiros, shows off a diverse range of mediums, with materials from house paint, stickers, bottle caps, discarded packaging, and liberal amounts of acrylics.
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Ramirez is one half of the artistic duo Date Farmers, who began offering a look at Mexican-American life through mixed-media in 1998. Rooted in the Coachella valley, commonly associated with the over-the-top music festival, the artist forms his works around a collection of found materials, as well as the vibrant Hispanic culture in the Southwestern region. Elements like snakes, spiders, and scorpions merge with religious symbols. Each character in Ramirez’s work swims with a unique energy that bursts forth with translucently bright skin and jutting musculature.
Ramirez’s work in Complejo de Cristo y Vampiros, or “Complex of Christ and Vampires” in English, will show at New Image Art. See some of his cross-cultural art here:
Carlos Ramirez, 2016, Payasos, Mixed media on canvas, 49 x 37 inches
Carlos Ramirez, 2016, Si Yo Fuera Maya, Mixed media on canvas, 28 x 22 inches
Carlos Ramirez, 2016, Sick Boy, Mixed media on canvas, 40 x 30 inches
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Source: vice.com