Ricardo Rodr guez, Representaci n Topogr fica.
Sometimes the suggestions an image incites are more powerful than the image alone.
With suggestion comes intrigue. There's a natural curiosity about the artist who propelled those suggestions in the images you see speeding across your cerebral hemispheres. It's only two dimensions -- maybe three, if you're lucky. How could they know it would affect you the way that it does?
Artist and teacher Ricardo Rodr guez, a fixture in the Ventura arts scene, knows the toil it takes to get to the point of developing those suggestions. Some of the most striking examples of his art speak directly to the strange framework that connects the heart and the mind. In Re-Frame, the sight of an empty picture frame placed atop perfectly-tilled farmland summons up thoughts of promise and potential. In Trapped Between, raw black rope wends its way through white blocks placed carefully around a gallery -- provocative in its invitation, challenging the viewer to not only touch but re-touch as well. In Tissue, what appear to be human materials connect themselves directly from the image to the imagination, moving in a ballet of subtle and challenging creativity. Rodr guez's work is visceral yet minimal, evoking the greatest of emotions from the barest turn of the eye as it moves across the artwork.
Ricardo Rodr guez, Re-Frame.
With this in mind, does his work fit into the larger Ventura County arts scene -- or is he out there on his own? I've lived in Ventura for six years, Rodr guez explains, adding, And I'm part of the Bell Arts Factory off Ventura Avenue. I was a board member there, and I've run the Tool Room Gallery and I've curated the Bell Arts house studio there. So I've worked as an artist and also a curator. There's a sense of the past tense. What happened? I've been working at a school for five years, he says with a sigh. I was commuting from Ventura to La Ca ada Flintridge every day for three years -- 70 miles each way, about an hour-and-a-half. So I was in the car three hours a day -- and on top of that, when I came back to Ventura, I'd have to go to the gallery and work, or go to meetings. That kind of pillar-to-post living must have been exhausting. The driving took a lot away from my own personal work -- so I had to make the decision. I really love the community, but I had to move closer to work so I could actually produce more work of my own. I'm still active up in Ventura, even though I don't live there; I'm really active there still from here.
As for if he sees anyone in Ventura doing art similar to his, he's diplomatic and expansive. I did a collaboration in Ojai with one Ventura artist -- the ceramicist Janet Neuwalder. Her work would not be considered traditional ceramic work; it's more like a conceptual approach to the medium. There's a group of artists up here that's a younger generation that are exploring the medium in new ways; more conceptual. As for the current state of the arts in the county, he enthuses, Definitely, in Ventura, I think it's an arts community that's growing every year. I've been really impressed. When I got there in 2008, I think it was, there was a big art community because it was easy-to-find; it wasn't hard.
How did he start out when he first arrived? The answer lay at the nascent Bell Arts Factory, a former mattress factory at the east end of town. When I started out at the Bell Arts Factory, the two-room gallery that was there wasn't running -- basically, it was just used as storage. So, I offered, said I'd be willing to run the gallery; I fixed it up and they gave me the thumbs-up. How were his efforts received? It was a matter of less than a year and that gallery was already being noticed by a lot of people in Ventura. I tried to showcase artists that were more contemporary -- some traditional media, but people who used them in a different way and would somehow enhance the Ventura community. I think now, especially with the ArtWalk [that was run by the city], now the artists own it themselves.
When asked about the difference between the Ventura and Los Angeles arts scenes, Rodr guez puts everything into perspective. It's small, a lot smaller than L.A. -- they support each other, and the dialogue is a lot faster. More dynamic, because it's smaller -- plus, in L.A., things get lost because there are so many art shows at the same time.
--
--
There are several photographs of his sculptures and installations on his website. As multidimensional as his work tends to be, the question arises: are those photographs something that complement, or complete the work? At this he is unequivocal. The photos that you see on the website are just a documentation of the actual exhibit. Trapped Between, itself, is mounted on a panel and I literally drilled a hole where the rope is and I put the rope from behind, coming out. They're both contained in the same image. It's a division between what's real and what's fiction.
Are there any other examples of this particular artistic outlook that influenced him? The last few years I photographed wrinkled paper (for the series Representaci n Topogr fica) with a pinhole camera -- a wooden box, 40 by 30 inches, adding, deliberately, By photographing photo-sensitive paper, I went to the basics of the medium -- light hitting on an object, bouncing back and being recorded.
With minimalism -- both in its pursuit by artists and its appreciation by audiences -- there's a lingering impulse to keep filling up space. It's as though there's the pressure to have to come up with an alibi -- a rationale for its very existence, because people don't like blank space and aren't comfortable filling in that space on their own. They wa
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
30/04/2024
By Adam Piron
In anticipation of this edition of the Indigenous Program's Native Lab, it actually dawned on me that this will be our lab's tenth year i...
30/04/2024
Launch of SBS South Asian channel and SBS Spice, a new English language offering...
30/04/2024
LOS ANGELES (April 30, 2024) Light Iron, the post-production creative-services division of Panavision, is excited to announce that lodie Ichter has joined th...
30/04/2024
Now streaming on Netflix, Good Grief marks the feature-film directorial debut of Daniel Levy, well known as the co-creator and costar of the series Schitt's...
30/04/2024
The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy's sweeping portrait of a wealthy British family in 1880s London, is getting its third TV adaptation in less than 60 years....
30/04/2024
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
30/04/2024
CAMPBELL, Calif. Streaming media company Plex and T-Mobile will work together to expand T-Mobile's connected TV (CTV) inventory and advance the connection b...
30/04/2024
SAN JOSE, Calif. & BELLEVUE, Wash. Roku, Inc. has announced an expanded measurement partnership with iSpot.tv, the cross-platform TV measurement company....
30/04/2024
NEW YORK As Paramount Global wrestled with management turmoil and ongoing negotiations for a proposed merger with Skydance, the company managed to report improv...
30/04/2024
Cobalt Digital Receives Trifecta of Awards at NAB 2024
Company adds two 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year awards and one Best of Show from TV Tech to long list...
30/04/2024
arkona technologies GmbH, provider of IP core infrastructure solutions for top-tier broadcast productions, has announced that its BLADE//runner IP Audio Engine ...
30/04/2024
OpenDrives, Inc., the global provider of software-defined media workflow solutions and data management capabilities, announced today that it has joined the glob...
30/04/2024
The first norm conform sustainability service dedicated to the needs of the events industry
Easy-to-use, intuitive platform for venues, event organisers and su...
30/04/2024
Dejero GateWay enables Stream7 to create independent internet connectivity at any venue or location, including UK teaching hospital for live streaming of surgic...
30/04/2024
Excitement is building as farmerswife, a leading software provider for resource scheduling, project management, and team collaboration in the media industry, ha...
30/04/2024
XL8, a leading deep-tech startup specializing in AI-powered machine translation technology, proudly announces the successful completion of a System and Organiza...
30/04/2024
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, has announced that it will exhibit at CABSAT, which takes place this year from 21-23 May 2024 at the...
30/04/2024
MRMC Debuts Cinebot Max Camera Robot at NAB 2024
Brie Clayton April 30, 2024
0 Comments
Expands its range of live-action, motion-control camera robots...
30/04/2024
Next Jazz Legacy Announces 2024 Cohort of Women and Nonbinary Awardees The program was created by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender J...
30/04/2024
European telecom satellite company SES announced today that it is acquiring rival Intelsat for $3.1 billion. The deal, unanimously approved by both companies...
30/04/2024
Bob Bakish, chief executive of Paramount stepped down on Monday, effective immediately. Bakish, who was a staunch ally of Shari Redstone, controlling shareholde...
30/04/2024
Hotspring said the breakthrough had been achieved through the acceleration of machine learning technology
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: April 30, 2024
Ho...
30/04/2024
Speaking about the deal, Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES, said: it will bring value-added, efficient, and reliable offerings for both companies media customers
By Je...
30/04/2024
Paramount said the Office of the CEO is working with its board to develop a comp...
30/04/2024
LOUISVILLE, Ky. In another sign that broadcasters are finally using NextGen TV broadcasts to offer viewers new features instead of simply simulcasting existing ...
30/04/2024
OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame will induct Blaise Labbe, a group news director for Sinclair Broadcast Group, May 2 at the 54th Anniversary I...
30/04/2024
ATLANTA and ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Cox Media Group and Dish have ended a dispute over retransmission fees that lasted nearly a year and a half with a new multi-year ...
30/04/2024
Video transport solution provider LTN has announced that it is working with TelevisaUnivision to help the Spanish-language media giant migrate to IP-based video...
30/04/2024
ALAMEDA, Calif. Clear-Com has released details about how it played a pivotal role in the seamless coverage of the recent solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 by NBC K...
30/04/2024
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company is adding Seth Walters to its sales leadership team as head of CTV sales, effective April 29....
30/04/2024
The force was strong at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Saturday night, April 27, 2024, as the night netted the ballpark's first official sellout crowd of...
30/04/2024
Revry, a network celebrating queer culture. said its second annual NewFront presentation will be a cabaret-type spectacle showcasing the spirit of the LGBTQ+ co...
30/04/2024
Family Entertainment Television (FETV) said that the Western series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp will be joining the network's afternoon lineup startin...
30/04/2024
Bob Bakish, president and CEO of Paramount Global, will depart the company as Paramount explores a merger, according to numerous published reports. The reports ...
30/04/2024
April 30th, 2024 Press Materials Available Here
TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2024 ANNOUNCES TALKS, REUNIONS, & RETROSPECTIVES
Live Conversations with Judd Apatow, Andy C...
30/04/2024
6 minute read
Share
alt=Alternative descriptive text class=lazyload main main-lazyloaded responsive-image data-v-1a5ebb10>
Telenor showed good momentum...
30/04/2024
SES Acquiring Intelsat to Create New Satellite Giant; Will Offer Improved Reach ...
30/04/2024
Wuppertal April 30, 2024
WDR Filmhaus to Implement Riedel Infrastructure Award-Winning MediorNet HorizoN Hybrid Processing Platform Serves as Bridge to IP
Ri...
30/04/2024
Back to All News
Tilda Swinton Joins Colin Farrell in Edward Bergers The Ballad...
30/04/2024
Back to All News
Netflix Reveals First Look Images and Teaser from Senna, Inspi...
30/04/2024
Back to All News
Top 10 Week of Apr. 22: Baby Reindeer' and Rebel Moon - ...
30/04/2024
Dr. Nicola Hodson, Chief Executive, IBM UK & Ireland introduces the UK findings of an IBM study on female leadership in the age of AI
Advances in Artificial In...
30/04/2024
Channel Expansion, and New Codecs, Compression and Transport Technology Among Latest Updates...
30/04/2024
Accel-KKR Credit Partners today announced that it has provided debt financing to support Dalet in its next chapter of innovation and growth. Accel-KKR Credit Pa...
30/04/2024
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 29 April 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soa...
30/04/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lewatle witnesses an explosive fight between Sthoko and B...
30/04/2024
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of David Murphy as its new Economics & Public Affairs Correspondent. David is currently RT 's Political Cove...
Ricardo Rodr guez, Representaci n Topogr fica. 
