FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Paul Henry Ramirez
June 11 through July 17, 2010 Opening reception with artist, Saturday evening, June 19, 2010, 5:00-8:00 PM
David Richard Contemporary 130 Lincoln Avenue, Suite D, Santa Fe, NM 87501 p 505-983-9555 | f 505-983-1284 | www.DavidRichardContemporary.com
David Richard Contemporary is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new work by Paul Henry Ramirez and the gallery’s inaugural show. Ramirez’s work is colorful, playful and whimsical while representing the human body and its functions through evocative abstract biomorphic and geometric forms that are sensual and suggestive. The exhibition introduces Ramirez’ first foray into ceramics as a medium, accompanying acrylic paintings and silkscreened installations that invite the collector to actively engage in the pieces.
The exhibition emphasizes Ramirez’s efforts to develop a universal language that represents the body in a way that is abstract and thus open to personal interpretations by the viewer. The Chunk series consists of three, six-foot-square acrylic paintings plus two smaller paintings where large portions of the canvas contain black or brown blocky figurative structures accompanied by explosions of straight lines of bright colors with soft round forms capping the ends. Two of the panels were part of a recent exhibition, “BLACKOUT: A Centennial Commission by Paul Henry Ramirez,” commissioned by The Newark Museum.
Related series consisting of smaller works with equally snappy titles and explorations into color and form include Swash, Punch and Naked. The latter are glazed ceramic vessels that are more figurative and sculptural, a new medium for Ramirez and reminiscent of his earlier work and installations.
The other half of the exhibition features installations, including three Spin silkscreens on linen. Bulbous structures in the center of the linen are surrounded by borders of brilliant pink, red or orange, and can be spun and uniquely arranged by the viewer. Another installation of 19 circular paintings on convex supports, called Paint Pours, looks like an explosion of whirling Frisbees. Each of the Paint Pours is sold individually or in groups to create one’s own installation, thus continuing Ramirez’s desire to have viewers actively engaged in his paintings and personalizing their own collections.
Born in 1963 in El Paso, Ramirez lives and works in the New York area. He has had 22 solo exhibitions, including numerous museum shows in New York, Paris, San Francisco, Newark, Houston, El Paso, Ridgefield and Charleston. His work has been included in numerous group exhibitions addressing abstraction, POP Surrealism, eroticism and the human body. Ramirez’s work may be found in public collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Hirshhorn Museum, Newark Museum, Austin Museum of Art, Kresge Art Museum, NASA, Progressive, and the El Paso Museum of Art.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a full-color catalog with an essay by Nancy Princenthal.
David Richard Contemporary is located in downtown Santa Fe north of the historic plaza. The gallery offers a range of important contemporary art with an emphasis on abstraction in a variety of media by established and emerging American and international contemporary artists.
Gallery Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM
For additional information please contact: David Eichholtz, d@DavidRichardContemporary.com