Interview with Josue Ramirez
Interview by Natalia Rocafuerte
Josue Ramirez (@raw_mirez) Josuè Ramírez (Rawmirez) is an artist living and practicing in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas Mexico border. Originally from Ciudad Mante Tamaulipas, Mexico, Josué migrated to the US alongside his family. He graduated from the University of Texas with a BA in Mexican American Studies and Spanish. Josué is a program coordinator at come dream. come build in Brownsville, Texas where he advocates for fair housing and inclusive communities. He spends his remaining time creating art and writing for an online platform and collective called Neta.
How is your winter going?
It’s still summer in South Texas lol, so I’m soaking in the rays in my backyard quarantining from the outside world as much as possible. The usual really. I’m keeping busy with work, walking my dog and some art making here and there. For the most part it has been a lot of planning for projects and collaborations in the near future.
What role does your artwork play in the world?
Currently it is a way to let loose and work through frustrations and obstacles I face as an artist and as a person in general. It also plays a role in supporting social justice and personal and collective liberation. Lately I have leaned more heavily into my social practice as a cultural organizer and arts practitioner via arts programming and resource development for the local creative infrastructure.
Could you explain what inspired your piñata people performance?
I was inspired by my hate for the Donald Trump pinatas that were popular in his first term. I hated the idea of him being associated with the pinata in any way, even if the effigy was going to be smashed to pieces. I wanted to understand why I was so attached to the idea of the pinata. It led me to learn more about how the craft was warped from an indigineous practice into a tool for colonization. It evolved through history and capitalism to become a signifier of Latinidad in the Western popular imagination. I personally hate that in Pop Culture the pinata is always the butt of the joke, that it is used as a stereotype and as a way to reference specific negative notions of Latinidad ( we are laughable, disposable and and subjects of violence). To me the value of the craft is that it has survived through white supremist colonialism, it is still here, that the craft has fed families for generations and that it is a beautiful cultural creation that encompasses a long history tied to indigeneity. I started a multimedia series titled Pinatabstract which came from the idea of detaching the symbolism from the pinata by focusing on the craft, the technique, aesthetic and practice rather than the final figure or monito we are used to seeing and breaking. It is a combination of abstract expressionism and craft that results in large-scale and immersive installations, sculptures, wearable art, videos and performances. Pinata People is part of this series. It is a performance with three wearable art pieces titled Rasquache Sound Suits (S.O.N.C). They are modeled after Nick Cave’s Sound suits, with a pinata and rasquache twist. I wanted to explore different ways of interacting with a pinata and incorporate movement and agency to the object while maintaining its abstraction. The interactive performance may include a soundscape and a choreographed dance as well. My goal is to push the limits and understanding of the pinata.
Do you draw inspiration from any materials specifically?
Found objects, paper-I’m all about that rasquache aesthetic also I’m self taught so anything that is easy to use stuff and accessible.
What are you working on next?
I’m working on some tiny paintings of Motorcrossers riding horses. I am currently building a collaborative public installation with the come dream.come build, the community development corporation I work for. The project will shine a light on the housing instability and displacement occurring in Cameron County. It will be accompanied by community discussion, a fact sheet on local housing affordability and some policy suggestions to help address the issue. I also am doing more cultural organizing and administrative work for arts programming (writing funds, administering, etc.).
Would you care to share your last dream?
Part of a dream I had recently was that someone in my dream ordered take out from a fancy restaurant and that the food came in weird containers, I remember a salad and croutons served inside a beaker.
PinatAbstract Installation at Art League Houston, photo by Alex Barber
Check out Josue Ramirez'’s latest video project Piñata People Performanceduring our Experimental Shorts Broadcast hosted by Natalia Rocafuerte on December 4 2020 at 8PM Central Time. RSVP here!
Socials: rawmirez.com. netargv.com
