RAMIRO SMITH ESTRADA
Ramiro Smith Estrada, 1984, lives and works in Buenos Aires. He pursued university studies in Engraving at the Universidad del Museo Social Argentino in 2007. He was selected to the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in the field of Engraving in 2010 and 2013, and to the Williams Award in 2012. In 2014 he was selected to the Contemporary Artistic Practices clinic (PAC, for its initials in Spanish) conducted by Gachi Prieto Gallery with teachers Eduardo Stupia, Rodrigo Alonso, Rafael Cippoletti and Andres Wassiman. The same year he took part of an argentinian group exhibition at VICE Gallery in Wynwood Miami. In 2015 he participated in a residency at LaVallee in Brussels, Belgium. In 2017 he presented ¨CHETO¨ his fifth solo exhibition at Mundo Nuevo Art Gallery, (Buenos Aires) curated by Santiago Bengolea (coordinator of the Contemporary Space of Fundacion PROA).
Plus Gallery introduced Estrada Smith’s work to Denver in 2018, in association with his first Artist Residency Exchange with RedLine. He has become a fixture within Denver’s contemporary art scene ever since, with his first solo exhibition “Expertly Paired” taking place at non-profit art space Leon in 2019, and upcoming solo exhibition set for summer of 2021 with Understudy.
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My current work revolves around contemporary modalities and the ways we see and portray ourselves. Through a narcissistic standpoint, we are constantly weaving a tale of who we are; fashionable, current and up to date. As on social media, my paintings attempt to highlight and beautify the “mundane” and at the same time exacerbate the clash between fleeing narcissism and the weight of culture. The “ornament” then functions as a means of symbolic and formal decoration.
My focus is on the subject of the contemporary construction of “self-image”. Focusing on a culture that does not delve into content but rather a place where the image reigns supreme. Imagery and the reflection of the other, and how we are seen seem to be the raison d'etre. Narcissism, the consumption of “cool” culture and the glorification of the mediocre. - Ramiro Smith Estrada, 2019