Christian Ruiz Berman

Superstring Variations

April 24th, 2021- May 15th, 2021

Christian Ruiz Berman’s work is deeply influenced by contemporary philosophy, including the recent writing of thinkers like Karen Barad. Barad writes about describing reality as an apparatus, in which each person, animal, relationship, and mechanism is an essential component to the present moment. She writes about the tentacular and the woven nature of agency, as well as humanity’s need for new symbols and figures that better reflect our current knowledge of quantum physics and the nature of reality and the mind. Ruiz Berman is fascinated by the ways that abstract and representational painting can intertwine and speak to the ways that reality is both distinct and individualized. Ruiz Berman is also intrigued by symbols and artifacts and has been recently exploring Mesoamerican codices (illustrated manuscripts), which were completed as hybrid works between indigenous Mexican artisans and European clergymen. The codices documented, through small images, the ins and outs of daily life in 1500s Mexico. Ruiz Berman sees his work as part of a larger codex documenting in more abstract terms the quirks of his own existence, but also all the ways that he is connected to everyone and everything around him, including his Latin American heritage and the objects his ancestors made.