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Ricardo Rendon
Title: Nail Work, 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: 6" x 6" Pressure Treated Pine Beam & 8" Nails
Dimensions: 56" x 6" x 6"
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
Versatile! That is Ricardo Rendon. He has worked in a multitude of media including video installation and sound art. As he says, "I don't specialize in a single format.
At the Diaz Contemporary, I had works on paper, objects, some installation. I like the idea of not specializing in any single media because I don't want
to repeat myself or limit myself. The purpose of my artistic research is the moment of creation. It doesn't matter if it's sculpture or drawing, as long as it
fits with the moment when it is complete." Another phrase that would aptly describe the artist is "award-winning."
Title: Ricardo Rendon
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
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Title: Brush Work, 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: Wood, Nails and Brushes
Dimensions: 30" x 18"
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
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In April 2006 Ricardo Rendon was honored, earning the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (SNCA).
The award is on behalf of Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA) and Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (FONCA).
As the artist explains, "it's one of the largest grants in Mexico
city. It is a three-year grant to produce your work. I'm so happy. I just received the news. It allows me to create a project for three
years and relates to everything that I've done. I'll be able to
continue my work and have exhibitions."
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The artist recently had an exhibition at Diaz Contemporary art gallery, Toronto. The theme was the 'process of work'. As Ricardo says, "The richest
moment I can capture in the artistic process is the moment of work. It's not contemplative. It's a moment of self-consciousness where I work, and the ideas
come to me as I work especially if its a repetitive action, then I tend to get a sense
of the nonsense of repetitiveness."
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The artist described some of the pieces that were on display at Diaz Contemporary. "The title for this piece comes from the materials I used, the brand of screwdrivers is Swordfish. I like the construction, it's a small sculpture. I'm trying
to get focus on the moment of creation, believing in this object as documentation of a certain
practice of work. Here the name gave me the idea for the creation. A
swordfish has a long fin and a sharp bill, I worked with that idea and came up with this sculpture. The materials are construction materials which are items
I often use in my work, things that have something to do with labor."
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Title: Screw Driver Work (Swordfish), 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: 6" x 6" pressure treated pine beam and screwdrivers
Dimensions: 56" x 6" x 6"Wood
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
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Title: Gloves Work (Team Work), 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: Modified Cotton Gloves
Dimensions: 35" Diameter
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
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Title: Wood Work, 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: Shaved 4" x 4" cedar beam
Dimensions: 39" x 4" x 4"
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
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"Wood Work is a shaved cedar beam. The idea is to document the process of creation; the process of work. As an artist I like to illustrate
practices of work. In this case it is to simply show the labor in shaving a piece of wood." It's one of his favorites pieces. "It's rich to work with this
type of wood, and it's found in Canada."
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Title: Paper Work (Work Day), 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: Perforated Paper
Dimensions: 90 x 50"
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
"The idea for this was very simply to put myself in the practice
of using a simple material, in this case paper. I took a large
sheet of paper and perforated the entire surface with a hole punch and a hammer. The process is simple in creation but complex
in time, and the physicality can be difficult in some of my work, but that's not what I explore, my subject is the process."
Title: Paper Work (Work Day), 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: Perforated Paper
Dimensions: 90 x 50"
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
"The holes fell to the floor as I was working and including them documents the process. It shows the evidence of the work, not just the finished product but what is left
behind such as wood shavings or the punched out paper in this work. I want the audience to have an idea of activity; something happened it's not a finished object."
Title: Paper Work (Work Day), 2006
Medium: Perforated Paper
Dimensions: 90 x 50"
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
"This is an entire project called Forced Labor, which is formed from Wood Work or Paper Work. There is a duality in the title, the material and also the work that is involved."
Title: Paper Work (80 Hits), 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: Embossed Paper
Dimensions: 36" x 50"
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
"80 Hits is also a paper work very similar to the one where I punched holes in the surface. In this piece I embossed the paper with numbers, just hitting number by number as a way to show the process of creation."
Title: Paper Work (80 Hits), 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: Embossed Paper
Dimensions: 36" x 50"
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
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Ricardo explains, "this was a site specific installation project for Diaz Contemporary. I wanted to
demonstrate the aesthetics and material of electricity and electric installation in a
house or building. There are three light bulbs connected to wood and was inspired by Mexican construction sites where they will put the cables together with nails. It's dangerous
but it's practical."
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Title: Serial Installation (Site Specific), 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: Electrical installation and wood
Dimensions: 100” x 40”
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
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Benjamin Diaz, owner of Diaz Contemporary said, "What I like about Ricardo is the
conceptual base in his work. I also think what is important
is that the finished product is very elegant and consistent."
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Title: Brush Work (Crutch), 2006
Artist: Ricardo Rendon (Mexican)
Medium: Mixed Media on Wood
Dimensions: 58" x 12" x 12"
Image Courtesy: Ricardo Rendon
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Creativity runs in the Rendon family. "My mother was a painter, not professionally, but always painted when I was a young child. I attended the art school in Mexico City, Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado ENPEG, La
Esmeralda (National school of Painting, Sculpture and Engraving).
This school is part of El Centro Nacional de las Artes CNA (National
Center for the Arts Mexico City). I studied graphic design before I studied art." He's passing on his skill set.
"Now I teach art at the same art school in the department of El Centro Multimedia (The Multimedia Centre).
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The exhibition has closed at Diaz Contemporary but the artist has several upcoming exhibitions in Mexico and New York City.
Area de Trabajo (Work Field) Solo Exhibit, Mexico City
Galería La Refaccionaria:
August 3rd 2006
Group Show Ecatepec Estado de Mexico, Mexico
La Colección JUMEX:
September 2006
Triangle Art Trust Artist's Workshop
Triangle Workshop:
October 2006
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