Pedro Rios Martinez’ Visual Conversation is One of the Most Daring Exhibits of the Summer
13 August, 2024Abstract painter Pedro Rios Martinez articulates his most alarming worries in new exhibition ‘Visual Conversation’.
Pedro Rios Martinez is a multimedia artist of Mexican descent. His work stretches from abstract expressionism to figurative sculptures and drawing to lithography. A collection of his large-scale oil paintings created between 2009-2024 is currently on view at the Whittier Art Gallery in California. Visible throughout this collection is Rios Martinez’s concerns about global warming. There is also a particular focus on the political context that led to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Precursors to his Insurrection tryptic in the exhibit are Los Lagartos (The Alligators), Los Tiburones (The Sharks) and Los Lobos (The Wolves). These paintings are metaphors for the backdoor deals between a pack of politicians interpreted as wolves in disguise and loan sharks working against the interest and desire of the majority of the American people. Wolves often appear in fables and stories to symbolise that which is frightening and dangerous. A close encounter with alligators,thesecreatures of the aquatic underworld endowed with stealth and strong jaws, terrifies the imagination, even more sinister for they cannot be seen. As a child, Rios Martinez would hear his grandfather reference lagartos when someone seemed to have hidden intentions.
It is in this series that Rios Martinez initiates a firm political statement of protest. His sharp angles give the impression that he paints the canvas with a knife. Los Lobos, Los Lagartos and Los Tiburones are dense impressions of nets, webs and labyrinths. The insidious normalisation of wars, of infrastructure, of neglect and the abuse of the people’s faith and trust to build a better and just society are strongly manifested in these paintings.
The fragmentation of society by race, culture and politics is a hideous narrative created and upheld in the decision-making chambers of power. Rios Martinez does not hesitate, and by painting energetic diagonal gestures on canvas it is clear he listens first to his heart. He paints what he feels and does not apologise for it. Unlike many abstract artists, Rios Martinez is clear with his message. He avoids the vagueness often associated with abstract art.
His four by ten foot tryptic titled Insurrection is a combination of splashes, drips, and jabs of paint.It is the largest piece in the exhibition. Insurrection is an abstract mimesis of the chaos that took place during the US Capitol attack.
Like an orchestra conductor gone mad, the gestures of splashes and dabs of paint by Rios Martinez interpret the piercing soundwaves of the organisers’ dog whistle call to violence on January 6. The red, white and blue strokes of paint resemble shredded rags of a flag. The visible pattern is of jagged edges aimed in all directions. There is no sense of rest or tranquility in Resurrection. Everything is chaotic and violent.
In the last decade or so, global warming has become a household topic. Its effects have impacted many regions of the world –in particular the Global South– with record-breaking heat, rain, and cooler temperatures. Drought, fires and flooding are frequently in the news. Rios Martinez tackles global warming by painting it. The geopolitical crisis of the early 1990s interests Rios Martinez; the need to address the destruction of the environment and the impact on the lives of people across the world. His global warming series differs from the rest of the paintings in the exhibit. There is a visible horizon. Semi-straight lines and curves are detectable.
His most powerful piece of the global warming series reflects a plume of catastrophic proportions similar to images of the atomic bombings of Nagaski and Hiroshima. His overall message could be interpreted as: more coolers and air conditioning units will not be enough to cool us down, nor will more heaters keep us warm. Rio Martinez directs our attention to our co-responsibility with every living being on this planet.
A survivor of the Vietnam War, veteran Rios Martinez is committed to bringing awareness to younger generations. Eco-friendly policies are not enough. A new way of seeing and being is essential to curb the gradual encroachment of a foreseeable environmental disaster.
Visual Conversation is one of the most daring exhibits this summer across the County of Los Angeles. With the encouragement of art promoter John Padilla, Pedro Rios Martinez articulates his most alarming worries.
Opening Reception: August 7th, 2024 – August 17th. https://www.whittierartgallery.org
Jimmy Centeno is an independent curator and writer
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