Conrad Ruiz loves to paint subjects related to the “boy zone”: video games, weapons, games, science fiction, fantasy, and special effects. He also often works at a very large scale to emphasize a connection to the tradition of history painting. Blockbuster (2011) was, at the time of its creation, the largest watercolor painting he had ever made. This commissioned piece combines his bombastic and playful style with a tribute to San Francisco’s thriving arts and culture scenes. It is a lively depiction of famous landmarks in the city, and a somewhat fanciful and lighthearted recapitulation of how a potential earthquake would shake things up in the ultimate “boy zone.”
Conrad Ruiz makes watercolor paintings of fantastic scenes. Bursts of color and energy sit behind flying figures and animals. Images become painted patterns, as rows of repeated objects and buildings’ striations verge on geometric abstraction. Ruiz’ identifies his work with the “ultimate boy zone”, and the connection is clear. His paintings are populated by explosions, giant sharks, and athletes. Ruiz creates his painting carefully, tracing projected images and carefully following lines. The semi-transparency of his watercolor fills gives his otherwise firm images a shimmering quality, contributing to their overall impression of dreamy unreality.
In Monster (1996-97), the artist’s face becomes grotesque through the application of strips of transparent adhesive tape, typical of Gordon’s performance-based films that often depict his own body in action...
Dorsky’s pieces included in the Kadist Collection are small still photographs from twelve of his most important films...
Conceived as a large-scale mural-like projection, Color of History, Sweating Rocks is a neo-futuristic, hybrid film that combines cinematic language, collage, animation, and inventive forms to highlight the plight of the peoples of the Sahara—and refugees in general—who have been displaced by oil-mining....
Central Station, Alignment, and Argument are “situation portraits” that present whimsical characters within distorted and troubling worlds...
It may take a minute to recognize the background of New Fall Lineup – the colors are tweaked into a world of cartoon and candy, and it is covered by leaping energetic figures and flying squirrels...
In Monster (1996-97), the artist’s face becomes grotesque through the application of strips of transparent adhesive tape, typical of Gordon’s performance-based films that often depict his own body in action...
Dorsky’s pieces included in the Kadist Collection are small still photographs from twelve of his most important films...
Gabriel Orozco comments: “In the exhibition [Documenta 11, Kassel, 2002], I tried to connect with the photographs I took in Mali in July...
Visit a new exhibition shedding light on man of mystery, Martin Margiela | Dazed â¬…ï¸ Left Arrow *ï¸âƒ£ Asterisk â Star Option Sliders âœ‰ï¸ Mail Exit Fashion Round-up …plus all the other fashion news you missed this week, from a new Balenciaga video game to Robyn Lynch’s London exhibition, and Entire Studios’ Selfridges pop-up 15 December 2023 Text Dominic Cadogan Margiela: In the Void 12 Martin Margiela is as much of an enigma today as he was while at the helm of the brand – which he stepped away from in 2009...
Weekly Picks: Singapore (7 – 13 January 2019) | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Weekly To Do January 7, 2019 The Past and Coming Melt by Koh Nguang How , Grey Projects, 12 – 23 January With a focus on environmentally engaged art that speaks to Koh’s early and crucial artistic position on environmental crises, ‘The Past and Coming Melt’ features archival works as well as new recreations of previously destroyed or unavailable work and material...
It may take a minute to recognize the background of New Fall Lineup – the colors are tweaked into a world of cartoon and candy, and it is covered by leaping energetic figures and flying squirrels...
The title of the painting refers to the fact that the figure’s behind is raised upwards and the face is found at the bottom of the painting, thus inverting the way in which people are normally seen...