The Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts presents:
‘RAIZ II’
Group Show + a solo exhibition and installation from Carlos Ramirez
Curated by Thinkspace Projects | Tlaloc Studios | The Perez Brothers
with installations and mini-artist mart from the Bloody Gums Collective + live screen printing from Blue Hill Studios
Opening Reception:
Thursday, September 28 from 4-7pm
On view September 26 through October 27, 2023 at:
Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts
College of the Desert
43-500 Monterey Avenue
Palm Desert, California 92260
Always in pursuit of uniting and elevating the New Contemporary Art community, Thinkspace Projects teams up with Tialoc Studios and the Perez Bros to present ‘RAIZ II’. Building on the community created with our first ‘RAIZ’ exhibition that took place at the Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale, California earlier this year, ‘RAIZ II’ seeks to strengthen
We are also excited to be able to provide Alejandra and Vicente Perez their first opportunity to curate as well. The brothers have helped to make ‘RAIZ II’ a true family affair and we are so honored to have them a part of this special showcase.
With nearly 60 artists in the group show alone, the extravaganza is sure to be diverse and varied, bringing universal appeal from so many incredible contributors. With a focus on local Los Angeles based artists, the lineup is as impressive as it is varied. A solo show from the legendary Carlos Ramirez (ex-Date Farmers) rounds out the exhibition, filling the walls with innovative and genre-blending pieces across several mediums from the Coachella Valley artist.
The surrounding grounds themselves will also be bursting with compelling content, from live screen printing with our friends at Blue Hill Studios to a mini-mart filled with local creatives put together by the Bloody Gums artist collective alongside installations and more from the Bloody Gums crew plus local low rider club Bajitos Del Valle will be on hand to showcase as well. Save the date and we will see you soon!
The show opens with a special celebration on Thursday, September 28th with a reception from 4PM to 7PM. The exhibition will be on view from September 26 through October 27 at the Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts, located at the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California.
Alongside a group exhibition featuring new works from:
Abars
Estefania Ajcip
Anta52
Andrea Aragon
Michael Bardales-Uriostegui
Alex Bargas
Brek
Joshua Castaneda
Emilia Cruz
Deladeso
Delisha
Leo Eguiarte
Sofia Enriquez
Priscilla S. Flores
Eduardo Gomez
GoopMassta
Emiliana Henriquez
Cody Jimenez
Haylie Jimenez
Sydnie Jimenez
Larry Li
Daniel Lopez
Kiara Aileen Machado
Danny Martinez (aka Van Dam One)
Steve Martinez
Jay McKay
Mister Toledo
Nikkolos Mohammed
Kristy Moreno
Lolbette Moreno (aka Lola)
Mr. B Baby
Baby Mueller
Jasaya Neale
Chaz Outing
Jerry Peña
Jacky Perez
Randy Perez
Simone Quiles
Johnny Quintanilla
Lily Ramirez
Roger Ramirez
Nori Rasmussen
Roja
Conrad Ruiz
Javier Hache Ruiz
Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa
Tamara Santibanez
Mia Scarpa
Eduardo Soto
Sob Story
Hedy Torres
Melly Trochez
Juri Umagami
Bryan Valdez
Ramon Vargas
Josh Vasquez
Daisy Velasco
Manuel Zamudio
About Carlos Ramirez:
This upcoming show perfectly illustrates Ramirez’s evolution as an artist. His oeuvre remains alluring and magical while simultaneously offering satirical commentary on political and social issues on behalf of the oppressed.
Ramirez was born in 1967 in the Coachella Valley (California) where he is currently based. He was formerly part of the artist collaboration The Date Farmers with Armando Lerma for over a decade. The duos work was exhibited in museums such as Oakland Museum of California, Laguna Art Museum and Palm Springs Art Museum. The Date Farmers began working independently in 2017.
Carlos’ works are layered reflections of a polymorphous identity; foreign yet familiar perspectives existing in a liminal reality between cultures, collecting ephemera and detritus, and combining it into playful assemblage pieces. Ramirez’s work often speaks of the inequalities within Mexican American communities and often champions the common man as underdog.
His work is tremendously resourceful, scavenging for creative materials within various desert locales. The work is replete with layers and textures intertwined with the political while being disguised as popular. Works include a combination of house paint,, sparkly stickers, handwritten bilingual text, rusted bottle caps, discarded packaging, and an iconic stylized use of acrylic paint with deeply layered figurative workings. Snakes, spiders, scorpions, and other bits of nature from his hometown appear mixed in with Catholic symbolism, aliens, perceived gang members, pop-culture references, and commercial imagery, giving brand logos and religious icons the same attention and placement.
About Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts:
The Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts is a nonprofit cultural and educational facility located on College of the Desert’s campus. Committed to educational excellence, The Marks Center provides a venue for artistic exploration, experimentation and research. Traditional formats of painting, drawing, sculpture ceramics, photography and printmaking are complemented by contemporary applications of performance and installation arts.
The architectural design of the Marks Center, with its three galleries, courtyard and sculpture garden, allows for poetry readings, musical events and theatrical performances. Guest speakers and professors in art, digital design, poetry, theatre and literature now have a dedicated facility in which to collaborate on thematic approaches to enhance learning.
About Thinkspace Projects:
Thinkspace was founded in 2005; now in LA’s thriving West Adams District, the gallery has garnered an international reputation as one of the most active and productive exponents of the New Contemporary Art Movement. Maintaining its founding commitment to the promotion and support of its artists, Thinkspace has steadily expanded its roster and diversified its projects, creating collaborative and institutional opportunities all over the world. Founded in the spirit of forging recognition for young, emerging, and lesser-known talents, the gallery is now home to artists from all over the world, ranging from the emerging, mid-career, and established.
Though the New Contemporary Art Movement has remained largely unacknowledged by the vetted institutions of the fine art world and its arbiters of ‘high culture,’ the future promises a shift. The Movement’s formative aversion to the establishment is also waning in the wake of its increased visibility, institutional presence, and widespread popularity. Thinkspace has sought to champion and promote the unique breadth of the Movement, creating new opportunities for the presentation of its artists and work. An active advocate for what is now one of the longest extant organized art movements in history, Thinkspace is an established voice for its continued growth and evolution, proving their commitment by expanding its projects beyond Los Angeles, exhibiting with partner galleries and organizations in Berlin, Hong Kong, London, New York City, Detroit, Chicago, and Honolulu among many others, participating in International Art Fairs, and curating New Contemporary content for Museums. Committed to the vision, risk, and exceptional gifts of its artists, the gallery is first and foremost a family. From the streets to the museums, and from the “margins” to the white cube, Thinkspace is re-envisioning what it means to be “institutional.”
Thinkspace Projects
4207 W. Jefferson Blvd + 4217 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90016
About Tlaloc Studios:
Tlaloc Studios is an interdisciplinary creative space with a diverse range of artists and practices, including Film Photography, Printmaking , Ceramics , Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Graphic design ,Videography and Fashion Design. Tlaloc Studios also host workshops and curates exhibitions and events for the Los Angeles community.
Tlaloc Studios
4477 E. 32nd Street
Los Angeles, California 90011
About Bloody Gums:
With small beginnings amongst a group of friends, Bloody Gums has grown to a collective of young creatives in the ‘underground’ shadows of the LA art world. They are major players in the rising DTLA art scene and are unapologetic for their DIY, skater, graffiti, vandalistic ways of creating theme park esque, acid tripped environments. They thrive on community and live by the mantra of the sum being greater than the parts.
They have collaborated on projects with Beyond The Streets, Adidas, Vans, Delicious Vinyl, Young And Reckless, CBNC, Dimepiece LA, and have gained a cult following for their ‘LA Is Trying To Kill Me’ annual group exhibition.