Dreaming Ithaca . . .

 

 

 

 

alt_space exhibition

Opening reception: Saturday, July 5, 4-7pm
On exhibit: July 5- August 16, 2014

In the exhibition, Dreaming Ithaca . . . , interdisciplinary artist Sandra Ramos addresses the paradox and contradictions of utopian idealism through the use of myth, allusions, and semantic juxtaposition. "Through my work I explore the edges at which art intersects with social, political, and global issues in order to establish a critical statement about the future," explained Ramos.

The exhibition is comprised of aquatint etchings and video installations that accentuate the artist's academic training and remarkable storytelling capabilities. "While engraving continues to be my favorite medium, I wanted to expand the expressive and communicative potential of my work through a new digital medium. Digital animation allows me to elevate my storytelling capabilities by creating a temporal continuity for my small vignettes," Ramos explained.

Ramos replaces familiar mythic archetypes with an alter-ego, niña pionera, pioneer girl, to create semi-autobiographical visual narratives that touch upon themes of identity, loss, exile, survival, and the ever present yet unattainable utopian dream. Ramos draws attention to promise and peril of utopian idealism, revealing the ways in which it awakens desire and shapes experience.

About the Artist
Sandra Ramos began her professional career during Cuba's "Special Period." During this period Cuba faced near economic collapse due to the dissolution of the USSR, the US imposed embargo, and severe domestic restrictions that reduced the quality of everyday life. By the late 90s, Cuba recognized the value of its artistic patrimony and eased political, economic, and cultural policies, allowing artists legal yet limited flexibility to participate in the global art market. In the midst of Cuba's transitional phase, Ramos emerged as a critical voice of a new generation of Cuban artists concerned with issues of globalization and the struggles of everyday life.

She has exhibited extensively for over twenty years at venues such as, Museo Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba; Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín, Colombia; Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna, Austria; Sheldon Museum of Art, Nebraska; Lyman Allyn Art Museum, New London, CT; Ringling Museum, Tampa, FL; Miura Museum of Art, Matsuyama, Japan and Urasoe Museum, Okinawa, Japan. Her work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, NY; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and Fuchu Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, among many others worldwide. Ramos is teacher at The Higher Institute of Art in Havana, Cuba, and curator since 1996 of Cuban contemporary art exhibitions. She has presented at conferences and workshops in international institutions including: National Gallery of Art in Washington DC; The University of Havana; L' Ecole deux Beaux Arts, Paris; Barbican Center in London; The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Lowe Art Museum, Florida University, Miami and Fuchu Art Museum,Tokyo, Japan.

For more information visit the artists website: sandraramosart.com