Paul Ramirez Jonas

Paul Ramírez Jonas (born 1965, Pomona, California) is an American artist and arts educator, who is known for his social practice artworks exploring the potential between artist, audience, artwork and public. Many of Ramirez Jonas's projects use pre-existing texts, models, or materials to reenact or prompt actions.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Ramirez and the second or maternal family name is Jonas.
Paul Ramirez Jonas
Born1965 (age 57–58)
Pomona, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBrown University,
Rhode Island School of Design
MovementSocial Practice
SpouseDeborah Fisher

He has participated in the Johannesburg Biennale, the Seoul Biennial, the Shanghai Biennial, the 28th São Paulo Biennial, the 53rd Venice Biennale, and the 7th Bienal do Mercosul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.[1]

Early life and education

Paul Ramírez Jonas was born in 1965 in Pomona, California and raised in Honduras.[2] In 1987, Ramirez Jonas graduated with a B.A. from Brown University, and went on to earn an M.F.A. in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1989.[3]

Career

Shortly after receiving his Master’s Degree, Ramírez Jonas began exhibiting his work in New York in 1990.[3][4] From the 1990-2004, Ramírez Jonas was primarily known for producing artworks that utilized a wide array of media for display in galleries.[5][6] For example, he was recognized for a series of sculptures where he recreated historical kite designs for the experiments of Alexander Graham Bell and other inventors.[7] It should be acknowledged that in this period his practice was not limited to only gallery exhibitions but included performance that interacted with audience members. In 1991, in collaboration with fellow artist Spencer Finch, the duo created an alternative audio tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, entitled Masterpieces Without the Director.[8] However this format of presentation was an exception and much of his recognition in the 1990s and into the 2000s was in both in commercial and institutional gallery exhibitions. This period would culminate in a survey show in 2004 at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, UK. This exhibition examined the early works of Ramírez Jonas and his exploration of technological progress as a backdrop to address concepts of time, memory and loss.[9] Despite this emphasis, in the catalogue that accompanied the 2004 Ikon exhibition, editor Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy acknowledges the artist's growing interests in “public space”.[10]

As the 2000s progressed, Ramírez Jonas created public works to intimate drawings, performances and videos. Through his practice, he sought to challenge the definitions of art and the public and to engineer active audience participation and exchange. Ramírez Jonas described his role as "extending beyond the private reader, and into someone who invites viewers to join in. The result of this shift is the reassertion of a contract between the artwork and its public."[11] In addition to conceiving public projects, both permanent (Taylor Square in Cambridge, and Hudson River Park, New York City) and temporary (such as Talisman at 28th Bienal de São Paulo, 2008), Ramírez Jonas was the subject of numerous solo exhibitions. He has participated in the 1st Johannesburg Biennale; the 1st Seoul Biennial; the 6th Shanghai Biennial; the 28th São Paulo Biennial and the 53rd Venice Biennial.[12]

Since 2004, Ramírez Jonas' efforts were increasingly recognized as part of the fields of Social Practice and Socially Engaged Art.[13][14] This “turn to the social” by many artists consisted of a wide ranging set artistic approaches that embraced art making strategies that were durational, participatory and cross disciplinary and that cultivated links between the aesthetic and political.[15] Ramírez Jonas’ series of works that involved an exchange of keys with the audience had particular import for the field of socially engaged artists and thinkers. These projects were Mi Casa Su Casa produced in San Diego and Tijuana for inSite_05 (2005), Talisman produced in São Paulo for the 28th Bienal de São Paulo (2008) and Key to the City produced in New York City with Creative Time (2010) among others.[16] Notably his work in this period, he distinguished himself by maintaining his position as the author of the work. Whereas other socially engaged artists sought to share or question the role of the author through collaborative production.[17] Although Ramírez Jonas’ work was contingent on the audience enacting the work, he always maintained an investment in the production of art objects as exemplified in his series of projects that circulates keys. In considering these art objects, writer and curator Nato Thompson wrote that the keys, “Recontextualized, they offer opportunities for participants to contemplate a broader range of choices, possibilities, and social interactions.”[18] With Ramírez Jonas’ interest in speech acts, citizenry and audience participation, his works embodied many of the concerns of socially engaged art. His approach described at times as a “MicroUtopia” for its capacity to temporarily engage the audience directly in small but exceptional acts that address large scale societal issues.[19]

In 2003, Jonas presented alongside artist Janine Antoni at Miami Art Museum, former Pérez Art Museum Miami. The exhibition was part of the museum's New Works series, and the duo showcased two of various collaborative projects. Mirror a commissioned work, and Always New, Always Familiar.[20][21]

In 2017, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston organized a comprehensive survey of Ramírez Jonas.[22] This exhibition contextualized the gallery based work of the 1990s with the later work of the 2000s. In considering the artist’s evolution over the nearly three decades, the exhibition presented Ramírez Jonas’ oeuvre as possessing a distinct continuity.

Public Collections (selection)

His work is included in various public museum collections including the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM),[20] the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,[23] among others.

Work

Heavier than Air series (1993–1994)

Taking the early prototypes for flying machines as points of departure, Ramírez Jonas built kites that he launched from the beach in reference to the experiments of the Wright Brothers.[24] Each kite was fitted with a timer that, when it went off, photographed the view of the artist below. Like thus, Ramírez Jonas’ early works such as ‘Heavier than Air’ often recreated or reenacted historical moments in both traditional and contemporary media.

A Better Yesterday (1999)

In 1999, Ramirez Jonas produced a project entitled A Better Yesterday for the exhibition Panorama 2000 organized by the Centraal Museum in Utrecht. This work consisted of painting an analogue clock face on the pavement and buildings of the city center of Utrecht. Since this “clock” spanned a 200 meter diameter of the city center, it could only be viewed in total from the elevation of the Dom Tower, whereas at street level, pedestrians could only view individual numbers. Throughout the day, an attendant, pedaling a tricycle with a musical automaton aboard, would visit each number at the corresponding hour of the day. The mechanics and construction of the automaton was carefully formed to visually combine three references: the Dom Tower in Utrecht, Bruegel’s painted depiction of the Tower of Babel and Tatlin’s Tower. At the top of each hour the musical automaton would play a score that was a mix of the songs It's a Small World (After All) and L'Internationale. The project lasted the length of the exhibition from June 5 - October 3, 1999. The project was part of a large group show of artists making works that utilized the view of the Dom Tower.[25]

Talisman (2008)

In 2008, Ramírez Jonas produced the work Talisman for the 28th São Paulo Biennial. He arranged for members of the public to a receive a key to the front door of the biennial venue, the Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion.[26] Each person who received a key was required to leave behind a copy of one of their own keys as well as sign a contract that established an agreement between themselves, the curators, the artist and the biennial foundation.[27]

Publicar Series (2009)

In this series of sculptures entitled Publicar, Ramírez Jonas altered large boulders by carving into them a space for monument plaques to be placed.[28] In this carved out space where a bronze plaque would be placed to honor a State figure or event, the artist substituted a cork board that served as a repository for public fleeting messages or personal note- the ephemeral voice of his public. The first three of this series were produced for the 7th Mercosul Biennial in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2009.[29][30]

Key to the City (2010)

In the summer of 2010, Ramírez Jonas created the Key to the City project in New York City with Creative Time and curator Nato Thompson.[31][32] He replaced 24 locks around the city, so that they could all be opened with a new “key to the city.”[33] Some of the keys opened simple spaces, and other opened complex interactions like participating in a restaurant.[33][34] Key to the City involved 25,000 participants and centered around a key as a vehicle for exploring social contracts pertaining to trust, access, and belonging. Keys have featured repeatedly in his work as symbols of access and exclusion, public and private ownership. Keys were distributed until June 2010, and the locks remained accessible throughout the summer, until September 2010.[35]

The Commons (2011)

Within the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) sits Ramírez Jonas's piece called The Commons (2011). Much like his 2009 boulder piece in Porto Alegre, Ramírez Jonas created a riderless horse made of cork for the purpose of allowing the public to use pushpins to leave notices to others. This piece was intentionally ephemeral so that those viewing and involving themselves with this artwork could watch it erode as the material deteriorated. "The Commons" is modeled after the bronze original of Marcus Aurelius atop his steed, Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, which is located in Campidoglio, Rome.[36] Ramírez Jonas's detail of leaving the horse riderless was intended to give a significant gesture for displaying a horse with no direction—meaning that, without the public, the piece is incomplete.

In 2017, The Commons was part of the exhibition Atlas, Plural, Monumental, a 25-year survey of the artist's work at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH).[36]

Public Trust (2016 – ongoing)

Public Trust was initially staged at three different public squares in Boston, Massachusetts in 2016.[36] The work was a participatory installation which invited participants to consider the impact of their words.

In 2017, Public Trust was part of the exhibition Atlas, Plural, Monumental, a 25-year survey of the artist's work at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH).[36]

Eternal Flame (2020)

‘Eternal Flame’ [37] was a monument in the form of a communal grill and imagined cooking culture as both a symbolic and real eternal flame – there is always a lit cooking fire somewhere on this globe. The work honored the role of cuisine and cooking in cultural cohesion and expression among communities and identities, even when individuals and families relocate locally, nationally or internationally. ‘Eternal Flame’ was designed to recognize the importance of dialogue and exchange. With this in mind, the artist produced a video featuring local chefs preparing recipes and relating stories on each dish’s significance and stating what the eternal flame meant to them. Ramírez Jonas imagines cooking culture as a symbolic eternal flame, enduring in communities for generations, over vast distances. The 5 grills within ‘Eternal Flame’ grills were open for public use during the Park’s open hours, which are every day from 9am to sunset. There was no reservation system, instead the grills were available on a first-come, first-served basis. [38]

Key to the City (2022)

One to one, one at a time, all of the time, thousands of keys will be bestowed by thousands of people on thousands of citizens for thousands of reasons that deserve to be recognized. Keys to cities are traditionally given by a City Council or Mayor to a hero or dignitary, symbolizing that they can have free entrance to the city. This new Key to the City belongs to us, and is awarded among ourselves. We will give each other the key to our city for private reasons that exist outside of history. Instead of being acknowledged for sitting in the Houses of Parliament, we are awarded the key for working hard on a school project. Instead of receiving an honour for running a large business, we receive the key because of the kindness we showed at the hospital. And with this new key, we gain an opportunity to step back and reflect on common space in the city. For not only does the key open up specific sites, but it can also make us aware that the city is a series of spaces that are locked or unlocked.[39]

Let Freedom Ring (2023)

In 2023, Ramírez Jonas was one of six artists commissioned to create a temporary installation for the National Mall in conjunction with Beyond Granite: Pulling Together, the first curated art exhibition in the Mall's history. Commissioned by the Trust for the National Mall, National Capital Planning Commission, and National Park Service, Ramírez Jonas designed an interactive arched bell tower that played the song My Country, 'Tis of Thee when activated. Viewers were invited to ring the final note in the song using a separate, larger bell that was out of tune with the rest of the song and was inscribed with phrases celebrating freedom.[40]

Awards and honors

His honors include grants from the Joan Mitchell Foundation in 2008,[41] ArtMatters Foundation in 2008 as support for his project Desahogo,[42] the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Howard Foundation, the International Studio Program in Sweden, and the Atlantic Center for the Arts, among others.

Teaching

Ramírez Jonas has taught at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), Columbia University, New York University (NYU), and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.[43] Beginning in 2007, he was an associate professor at Hunter College.[44] In July 2021, he left Hunter College for Cornell University where he is a professor and serves a chair of the art department.[45]

Personal life

Ramírez Jonas was married to artist Janine Antoni.[46] The couple met while in graduate school at Rhode Island School of Design.[46] They have a daughter and live in Brooklyn.[46] Ramirez Jonas married arts professional and founder and former executive director of A Blade of Grass, Deborah Fisher.[47] In 2022, the couple relocated to Ithaca New York after Ramirez Jonas was appointed Chair of the Art Department at Cornell University the previous year.[48]

Publications
  • Dean, Daderko (2017). Paul Ramírez Jonas: Atlas, Plural, Monumental. ISBN 978-0998632612. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  • Alexandra, Garcia Waldman (2016). Paul Ramirez Jonas: Public Trust. ISBN 9788566741032. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  • Leigh, Markopoulos (2014). Over the Water: Paul Ramirez Jonas. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  • Sofia, Hernandez Chong Cuy (2004). Paul Ramirez Jonas. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

Documentaries

References
  1. "Paul Ramírez Jonas | Cornell AAP". aap.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  2. "Paul Ramírez Jonas debuts "Half-Truths" at New Museum". www.newyorkspaces.com. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  3. "Paul Ramírez Jonas". Creative Time Reports. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  4. "The Drawing Center | New York, NY | Exhibitions | Selections 49". www.drawingcenter.org. 1990. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  5. "Art in Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  6. "Art Guide". The New York Times. 2003-02-07. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  7. "Art in Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  8. Collins, Glenn (1991-09-26). "Making an Art of the Met Tour". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  9. "Ikon Heavier than Air". www.ikon-gallery.org. 2004. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  10. Hernandez Chong Cuy, Sofia (2004). Paul Ramírez Jonas. Ikon Gallery., Cornerhouse (Gallery : Manchester, England). [Birmingham]: Ikon Gallery. p. 105. ISBN 1-904864-00-7. OCLC 56652873.
  11. "Visiting Artist- Paul Ramírez Jonas | Dept. of Sculpture + Extended Media". VCUarts Department of Photography and Film. 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  12. Atlas, Plural, Monumental. Daderko, Dean,, Arning, Bill,, Kelly, Karen J., 1964-, Schröder, Barbara, 1969-, Contemporary Arts Museum. Houston, Texas: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston / Dancing Foxes Press. 2017. pp. 116–120. ISBN 978-0-9986326-1-2. OCLC 1012500417.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  13. Reyes, Delos, Jen, “Open Engagement 2012”, Portland State University, 2012, Archive
  14. Johnson, Ken (2014-10-02). "The Artist Next Door". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  15. Jackson, Shannon, 1967- (2011). Social works : performing art, supporting publics. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-203-85289-7. OCLC 719090958.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. Thompson, Nato (2014). Over the water : Paul Ramírez Jonas. Ramírez Jonas, Paul, Exploratorium. San Francisco, CA. pp. 11–16. ISBN 978-0-943451-75-6. OCLC 904296342.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  17. Finkelpearl, Tom. (2013). What we made : conversations on art and social cooperation. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-5284-6. OCLC 792880278.
  18. Thompson, Nato (2014). Over the water : Paul Ramírez Jonas. Ramírez Jonas, Paul, Exploratorium (Organization). San Francisco, CA: Exploratorium. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-943451-75-6. OCLC 904296342.
  19. Becker, Carol (2012). "MicroUtopias: Public Practice in the Public Sphere". Living as form: socially engaged art from 1991 2011. Thompson, Nato (First paperback ed.). New York: MIT Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-262-53439-0. OCLC 978612879.
  20. Artdaily. "Art gift to Pérez Art Museum Miami by Mimi and Bud Floback grows to nearly 30 major works". artdaily.cc. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  21. "Exhibitions – Caribbean Cultural Institute". Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  22. "Atlas, Plural, Monumental". Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  23. "Collection: Paul Ramírez Jonas". Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  24. Almino, Elisa Wouk (2017-06-29). "Paul Ramírez Jonas Asks What Constitutes a Public". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  25. Panorama 2000 : Kunst in Utrecht te zien vanaf de Domtoren : 5 juni - 3 oktober 1999 = Art in Utrecht seen from the Dom tower : 5 June - 3 October 1999. Weelden, Dirk van., Centraal Museum (Utrecht, Netherlands), Domkerk (Utrecht, Netherlands). Utrecht: Centraal Museum. 1999. ISBN 90-73285-60-7. OCLC 46883571.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  26. Smith, Royce W., "28th São Paulo Bienal: In Living Contact" X-TRA, Summer 2009, Volume 11, Issue 4 .
  27. Hoffmann, Jens (2009-01-01). "28th Sao Paulo Biennial". Frieze Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  28. "Common Exchange Exhibition - Cambridge Arts - City of Cambridge, Massachusetts". www.cambridgema.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  29. Ramírez Jonas, Paul (2017). Atlas, plural, monumental. Daderko, Dean,, Arning, Bill,, Kelly, Karen J., Schröder, Barbara. Houston, Texas: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston / Dancing Foxes Press. pp. 38, 117. ISBN 978-0-9986326-1-2. OCLC 1012500417.
  30. 7a Bienal do Mercosul : grito e escuta. Yáñez Pavez, Camilo, Fundação Bienal de Artes Visuais do Mercosul, Bienal do Mercosul (7 2009.10.16-11.29 Porto Alegre). Porto Alegre. 2009. ISBN 978-85-99501-18-4. OCLC 846128509.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  31. "Key to the City". creativetime.org. Retrieved 2016-08-14.
  32. Berwick, Carly (2010-03-01). "A Different Way to Make a Difference". ARTnews. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  33. Becker, Carol (2011-06-03). "Utopian Strategies: Artists Anticipate their Audiences". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  34. Fisher, Cora (2010-09-03). "Paul Ramírez Jonas: Key to the City". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  35. Kennedy, Randy (2010-06-23). "Artist's 'Key to the City' Is One Woman's Date Night". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  36. "Paul Ramírez Jonas Asks What Constitutes a Public". Hyperallergic. 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  37. 'Eternal Flame' by Paul Ramírez Jonas, retrieved 2022-04-30
  38. huntercollegeart (2020-08-16). "Paul Ramírez Jonas, Eternal Flame". Department of Art and Art History. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  39. "Key to the City". Fierce Festival. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  40. Gopnik, Blake (17 August 2023). "On Our National Mall, New Monuments Tell New Stories". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  41. "Artist Programs » Artist Grants - 2008". Joan Mitchell Foundation. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  42. "Grant: Paul Ramirez Jonas, 2008". Art Matters Foundation. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  43. "Faculty and Staff: Paul Ramirez Jonas". Hunter College. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  44. "Artist Paul Ramírez Jonas". The Creative Time Summit. 2015. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  45. "Cornell AAP Welcomes New Faculty | Cornell AAP". aap.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  46. "Artist Janine Antoni Takes on Childbirth and the Female Body in Two New Shows". The Cut. 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  47. "Home | Deborah Fisher Astrology". Deborah Fisher Astro. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  48. "A Blade of Grass announces departure of founding Director and new Interim". artdaily.com. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
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