Richard Armendariz & Andrés Ferrandis: Manos (Hands)

While operating in the seemingly opposing fields of figurative and abstract art, Richard Armendariz and Andrés Ferrandis share more similarities than differences in their approach to artmaking. The artists invoke their painterly origins to explore traditional genres of painting by manipulating text, color and materials to guide the viewer into the less tangible realms of time, memory and self-reflection.

In Manos (Hands), Armendariz’s work concerns notions of chance and astrology. Light bulbs are introduced as the latest addition to the artist’s repertoire of iconography, creating a new constellation that evokes belief systems like astrology, and explores how these belief systems impact our outlook on life and the challenges we face daily. Using easily digestible elements like the color blue or a plant in a vase, the artist incorporates layers of references, challenging the viewer to think about what is below the surface. Armendarizis known for his hand-carved paintings, text-based imagery and his large color-saturated woodblock prints that weave anthropomorphic narratives with tales of turmoil. Spanglish, as well as contemporary and folk song lyrics, appear frequently in his compositions.

Andrés Ferrandis is known for his evocative geometric abstract constructions redolent with the traces of perception. These works expose the complex mental landscapes created from brief moments, experiences and memories. With a matured focus on construction and color, the artist presents to the viewer a fragment of captured time that is at once past and present. Text is employed as a subtitle to the artwork, providing the viewer with a translation of what is being expressed. Inspired by his recent residency at CRIA in Baja California, the artist has also broadened his explorations into large scale, three-dimensional text pieces that elevate the interaction between the artwork, the viewer and the surrounding environment. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Ricky Armendariz was born in El Paso, Texas. He received his BFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio and MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 2008, Armendariz received the Artpace Supplemental Travel Grant for travel to Mexico City and in 2013, he was selected to participate as the Artist-in-Residence in the Blue Star Contemporary Berlin Residency Program in partnership with Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany. In 2017, Armendariz was selected to be the first Artist-in-Residence for the DoSeum in San Antonio, Texas.

Armendariz’s artworks can be found in prestigious collections, including the Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO; Davis Museum, Wellesley, MA; San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX and The McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX.

Born in Valencia, Spain, Andrés Ferrandis studied at the University of La Laguna and received his MFA in painting from the University of Seville in 1997. Ferrandis’ first exhibitions were accompanied by Bancaixa awards from Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno and Fundación Bancaja Valencia, followed by travels in Cuba, New York and Madrid. A resident of Miami since 2002, he has split his time between Florida, México and Spain, for much of the past decade. Ferrandis's work has been featured in numerous international publications and has exhibited in museums throughout the United States and Europe. 

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