Icons of Displacement - Unraveling Hyperreal Truths
Initiated and organized by The Bridge Arts Foundation, the 'Beyond Borders' Global Young Artist Open-Call Exhibition is currently being held at The Scholart Selection Art Space in San Gabriel, California, and will run until December 31, 2023.
Bridge Arts Foundation's Art Director, Tia Xu, engaged in a conversation about the exhibition and art with several artists participating in this exhibition. In this interview, we have the pleasure of speaking with artist Ricder Ricardo.
—— Q&A ——
Tia Xu: Could you please share your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in art?
Ricder Ricardo: I was born in Havana, Cuba in 1985 amidst the Special Period in peacetime. Growing up in a dictatorial regime where every human right was challenged by the institution, art-making was the thing that made me feel like I was good at something, as well, it allowed me to create my own narratives. When I migrated to the United States with my family in 2000, I became obsessed with figurative work in painting and drawing. Later in life, when I started working in the restaurant industry with immigrants from all over the world, I realized that I wanted to tell those narratives of struggle, uprooting, and belonging through my work.
Ricder Ricardo, photo courtesy of Toni Smailagić.
Tia Xu: What does "Beyond Borders" mean to you, and how does your work in this exhibition either reflect or challenge this concept?
For me, beyond borders means the expansion of art beyond techniques, trends, concepts, and even who creates it. Opening the frontiers of possibilities in art allows us to experience it without preconceived notions of what the work should be like or who creates it. My work in this exhibition brings together the qualities of the show's concept in essence. On the one hand, it breaks with the already known composition scheme to create an iconography around the subject, and on the other, it shows a hyperreal truth that we experience in our environment daily when we talk about displacement and immigration.
Ricder Ricardo, The Swimmer, 2022, Oil on canvas, 4x4ft, photo courtesy of artist.
Tia Xu: Can you tell us the story behind a specific artwork from the exhibition?
Ricder Ricardo: I created this work thinking about a family member of Mexican origin who was enlisting in the military in 2018. I was particularly struck by all the protocols that he, being Hispanic, had to go through to be accepted by the military considering immigrants hold the third highest number of active members. For this painting I did not focus so much on his journey, but rather on a more universal narrative of the human condition to survive, and the ability to achieve goals. I expose in my works the duality between good and bad, similarly how the harshest of conditions can be counteracted by the power of perseverance.
Tia Xu: Can you share a particular piece of feedback or a comment from an art critic, art professional, or even the audience that has profoundly impacted you?
Ricder Ricardo: A recurring comment in my work that always brings me satisfaction from both the audience and my colleagues is the great humanity shown in my work. The works I create come from a very personal narrative and I think it can really be identified in my work.
Ricder Ricardo, photo courtesy of Toni Smailagić.
Tia Xu: How do you view the role of art in promoting cultural understanding and bridging divides, as emphasized in the exhibition's theme?
Ricder Ricardo: I believe that the role of art is to teach us to dissect nuances that cannot be expressed in words and at the same time help us heal on a personal and cultural level. Today more than ever it becomes imperative for creators around the world to teach us new and unique ways of seeing the environment that surrounds us. It seems that with time, the world becomes more divided with all the new technological ways of connecting, art can be the equalizer that teaches us to see again.
ABOUT OPEN CALL EXHIBITION PROGRAM
Bridge Arts Foundation's "Beyond Borders" Open Call Exhibition Installation View, Photo: © The Scholart Selection / Luna Hao
Bridge Arts Foundation's Open Call Exhibition Program is designed to provide support for early-career artists. For its inaugural edition, the "Beyond Borders" Open Call Exhibition has thoughtfully selected 18 talented artists from a pool of approximately 350 submissions, employing a selection process that involves art professionals. "Beyond Borders" opens from October 14th to December 31st, 2023.
ABOUT ARTIST
Ricder Ricardo
Ricder Ricardo is a visual artist with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking, and a minor in Photography from the University of North Florida, Department of Art and Design.
Born in a rural area of Havana, Cuba in 1985, Ricder and his family immigrated to the United States in the year 2000 in pursuit of freedom. Ricder's work has been presented in numerous galleries and academic institutions, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Science and History, Florida State College South Campus Gallery, Florida State University, Athens Institute for Contemporary Art Gallery, and Yellow House, among others. His work has also been featured in various publications such as RADX Magazine, Talon Review, and JAX TDY. Today, Ricder's work is predominantly figurative, with a focus on painting, printmaking, and photography. He is interested in the integration of media and how each stage of the creative process informs the next. His work is influenced by popular media, family, and friends, as well as his own experiences dealing with self-perception, discrimination, and acceptance. Ricder's work reflects the duality of his struggle to exist in two cultures and construct his own version of the American Dream.