Laerte Ramos: Arma Branca
Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art (phICA)
phICA INAUGURAL EXHIBITION
Laerte Ramos: Arma Branca
March 18 – April 10, 2011
While found in the production of beautiful and accomplished artesanato (folk art) work in Brazil, the use of cermics is uncommon in artes plasticas (visual arts) practice there. There is neither a black or white interpretation of these objects which leaves room for personal responses from viewers based on their own beliefs, opinions, and cultural influences.
Laerte Ramos lives and works in São Paulo, Brazil. He graduated in 2002 from the Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP), São Paulo. While the phICA exhibition is his first solo exhibition in the United States, his work has been shown extensively in museums and galleries throughout Brazil and Europe. He has participated in numerous artist residencies in Brazil, as well as at Fundación Norte in Zaragoza, Spain; European Ceramic Work Center, Hertoenbosch, The Netherlands; Beyler Foundation, Basel, Switzerland, and Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.
In addition, Ramos has been awarded numerous prizes (prêmios) in Brazil including the prestigious Prêmio Bolsa Pampulha for a project at Museu de Arta da Pampulha in Belo Horizonte; the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo’s Prêmio Mostras de Artista no Exterior (for artists to show outside of Brazil), and in February 2011 was shortlisted for Brazil’s most prestigious contemporary art prize, Prêmio Marcantonio Vilaça for the Visual Artds.
The complete Arma Branca installation of 100 clustered objects was firs shown in early 2010 at Galpão Baró/Emma Thomas, São Paulo, with a portion of the series later shown in October 2010 at Amarelonegro Arte Contemporânea, Rio de Janeiro. In Phoenix, the exhibition was organized by the Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art (phICA) in collaboration with Modified Arts, and was curated by Ted G. Decker. Funding for this exhibition was made possible by a monetary prize awarded to the artist by the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo, with additional support provided by Daniela Name and Cláudio Rosado Torres and Diego Azevedo de Otero/Amarelonegro Arte Contemporânea, Rio de Janeiro; and in Phoenix by phICA, Kim Larkin and Adam Murray/Modified Arts, Cindy Dach and Greg Esser, Ellyce and Eddie Shea, and Ted Decker. Exhibition marketing was made possible in part by a mini-grant from Ted Decker Catalyst Fund.
