Right now in Queens, New York, massive sculptures made of detritus from the sea have lit up, upright and colored like figures from mythology, imbued with some kind of sacred power. They are the work of the sculptor Daniel Lind Ramospresented as part of his personal exhibition “El Viejo Griot—Una historia de todos nosotros” at MoMA PS1.
Lind-Ramos was born in Loíza, Puerto Rico, in 1953, and his imposing yet elegant sculptural assemblages are made from salvaged objects, some literally thrown ashore, and others donated or donated by members of his community.
After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, the artist incorporated the now ubiquitous blue tarps distributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the massive (and still ongoing) recovery efforts, as well as burlap sacks, horns, pipes, steel buckets, and other everyday objects. In the artist’s hands, the scraps take on new meaning as they are pieced together as commentaries on colonization, climate change, and deeply rooted immigration to his homeland.
Daniel Lind Ramos. Baño de María (Water Bath/The Purification) (2018-22). Photo: Steven Paneccasio. Courtesy of MoMA PS1.
In a exclusive interview filmed as part of the brand new season of Art21’s flagship series Art in the 21st century, Lind-Ramos describes the influence of Caribbean and Puerto Rican culture on his life and work. Citing the “masquerade aesthetic” and African heritage among his inspirations, the artist said “there is a lot of energy going on…there is communication that goes over the tongue. There is something that is felt. »
Another component of his works are objects related in one way or another to immigration, such as shoes or luggage. “The sea brings it,” he explained. “The material activates my imagination… I start to play with it. I incorporate this object or I have to invent an object to the idea… It’s a very organic way of organizing. Regarding the natural disasters that wreaked havoc on island communities, the artist said he found it difficult to embrace the dual aspect of the hurricane: “It was sublime and terrible at the same time. It was something else. »
“The experience of disaster is not exclusive to Puerto Ricans,” he added. “There is a universality, no matter where you live in this world. People have to invent again. When you don’t have electricity, you don’t have water, you have to be inventive.
And the artist showed inventiveness, transforming lost objects into found objects which are the basis of his totemic structures.
“They’re all alive, you know? he said. “There I find beauty.”
Watch the video, which originally appeared as part of Art21’s series Art in the 21st century, below. “Daniel Lind Ramos: El Viejo Griot — Una historia de todos nosotros” is on view at MoMA PS1 until September 4, 2023.
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This is an episode of “Art on Video”, a collaboration between Artnet News and Art21 that brings you clips from artists who are making the news. A new season of the flagship series of the Art21 association Art in the 21st century is currently airing on PBS. Watch all episodes of other series, like New York close up And Extended gameand learn about the organization’s educational programs at Art21.org.
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