Ricardo Harris-Fuentes
Artist Statement
I make paintings based on my experiences with Buddhist meditation and Shamanism from various cultures. The paintings are designed to function as tools for meditation and by extension aids in healing. The manipulation of brush strokes, patterns, and pigments that change in appearance depending on the light environment suggest the idea that everything is energy, everything is alive, and everything is interconnected. Each of my paintings is conceived as a mindfulness practice or moving meditation. While I am painting, I infuse the work with Reiki energy, which is a form of shamanic energy healing used by many cultures for centuries. I sometimes use ceremony as a performance-based extension of the paintings as a way to contextualize some of the cultural references that inform the work. The ceremony is also a healing modality that creates a sense of connection among the audience members and promotes the idea of harmonizing with one’s environment-- further bringing people into a somatic experience of the paintings.
AWOL is proud to present Harris-Fuente's large-scale painting "Desert Dream" at the Tryst Art Fair 2024.
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
2010 MFA and Post-Bacc, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2003 New York Studio School, New York, NY
2000 BA Amherst College, Philosophy, Amherst, MA
Artist Statement
I make paintings based on my experiences with Buddhist meditation and Shamanism from various cultures. The paintings are designed to function as tools for meditation and by extension aids in healing. The manipulation of brush strokes, patterns, and pigments that change in appearance depending on the light environment suggest the idea that everything is energy, everything is alive, and everything is interconnected. Each of my paintings is conceived as a mindfulness practice or moving meditation. While I am painting, I infuse the work with Reiki energy, which is a form of shamanic energy healing used by many cultures for centuries. I sometimes use ceremony as a performance-based extension of the paintings as a way to contextualize some of the cultural references that inform the work. The ceremony is also a healing modality that creates a sense of connection among the audience members and promotes the idea of harmonizing with one’s environment-- further bringing people into a somatic experience of the paintings.
AWOL is proud to present Harris-Fuente's large-scale painting "Desert Dream" at the Tryst Art Fair 2024.
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
2010 MFA and Post-Bacc, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2003 New York Studio School, New York, NY
2000 BA Amherst College, Philosophy, Amherst, MA
