Pilsen Outpost presents the exciting printmaking work of artist Ricardo Xavier Serment this July!

Join us for an opening reception of Ricardo’s solo exhibition and
the celebration of making it 1 year in our new location!

FRIDAY, JULY 5th / 6-10pm
Show runs thru July 28th
IG: @rxserment

Round One: Primera Caída (Round One: The first fall) draws on imagery from my childhood fascination with wrestling and symbolic characters in Mexican folklore, such as calaveras y diablitos, to create allegorical narratives. Through Round One I explore the array of emotions and physical expressions one undergoes at the beginning of a bout, which is sometimes the hardest to overcome. Feelings of struggle, loss, and triumph are depicted in my work to resemble the emotions experienced in the face of adversity, or simply in our everyday lives. Woven into these narratives are my own ideas surrounding good versus evil, as well as unexpected outcomes.

About the Artist:
Ricardo Xavier Serment is an artist and educator native to Chicago and born to Mexican parents from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He received his BFA from Columbia College Chicago with a concentration in printmaking and his Master of Education from Dominican University. Currently, Serment is an educator for Chicago Public Schools, teaching Visual Art at various grade levels. Prior to this role, he served as a Museum Educator at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Serment is also a founding member of the print collective Instituto Gráfico de Chicago (IGC). His work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and Mexico and can be found in private collections, as well as the permanent collection of the National Museum of Mexican Art, Wheaton College, and Fort Wayne Museum of Art.

Artist Statement:
My primary choice of medium as a visual artist is printmaking—specifically relief techniques on wood and linoleum blocks. I have chosen to specialize in relief printmaking in response to its strong cultural connection with Mexico. As such, it is not uncommon to find traces of my cultural heritage in my work. Further, I explore the narrative format in my work to unearth some of the issues confronting individuals with bi-cultural identities such as myself.

My goal as an artist is to provide viewers a fragment of the diversity found within Latino culture, as a lens to analyze universal struggles encountered in contemporary society. Thus, my work is rooted in narratives that may be connected to folklore, myths, traditions and current issues. In this way, my work seeks to form visceral connections with viewers and simultaneously serve as an introduction to diverse cultural traditions and customs. For this reason, I rely on an illustrative style that is readily accessible. It is my hope that my work elicits nuanced responses from viewers—responses that fully embrace all aspects of Latino culture and also contain the joy and bliss I have personally experienced throughout my life.

Official Website

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Tags: Chicago, Lower West Side, Pilsen Outpost, Ricardo Xavier Serment, Round One: Primera Caída