Untitled, 2017

Courtesy the artist
Collection

Bronze
38 x 13 x 5 cm


The artistic practice of Dr. Lakra, aka Jerónimo López Ramírez, reveals him to be a collector of objects and concepts. His work draws on both ethnographic and pop cultural references – which he uses prodigiously in his collage, painting, drawing, and more recently, sculptural work. His interest in tattoos and tradition, the indigenous and contemporary, the folkloric and art historical, as well as fetishes, myths, histories, and rituals of a number of cultures are juxtaposed, resulting in works that are both a subversive tribute and a provocation. The bronze works carry a dizzying weight to them – totem-like characters are formed from the stacking of an array of traditional and contemporary references mixing Christian iconography with Buddhism, pop culture, and Chinese teachings. The result is work that is neither “high” not “low,” rather it ultimately questions the place and relevance of these symbols as we know them today.


*1972 in Oaxaca, Mexico | Living and working in  Oaxaca, Mexico