Marcos Ramirez ERRE
Is All That it Proves, 2015
7744 Fay Avenue
Marcos Ramirez ERRE's mural, Is All That it Proves, is a strongly stated, critical stance on what we perceive as the truth. He employs Thomas Paine's famous quote as both a linguistic and visual exploration of the human condition and a challenge against long standing rhetoric. Paine’s quote is about understanding that our opinion is only that, our opinion. And our opinion is not necessarily the "truth", while at the same time it may be. The piece deviates from its most obvious reference towards eyesight and becomes about another kind of vision, the kind of vision you perceive through common sense. True to his form as humanitarian artist, Is All That It Proves exemplifies the notion that now, more than ever, we need to embrace tolerance and learn to respect individuals who chose to think in a way different than we do.
Marcos Ramirez ERRE has come to be defined by his clever visual arguments and masterfully crafted work that maintains a poetic sensibility, even when leveling biting political commentary. He was born in 1961 in Tijuana, Mexico. ERRE received his Law Degree from La Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. In 1983, he immigrated to the United States where he worked for seventeen years in the construction industry. His multi-disciplinary background has shaped his practice. He came to prominence in the 1990s with large public installations that dealt with migrants, immigration, and border control, specifically focusing on the Mexican-American border crossing. Much of ERRE's work grapples with these issues.
In 2007, he received a United States Artist Fellowship; and since 2009, he has been a Fellow of Mexico’s Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (National System of Art Creators). His work has been featured in many major international exhibitions including InSite94, San Diego/Tijuana; InSite97, San Diego/Tijuana; the Havana Biennial, Cuba; the Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Moscow Biennial, Russia; the San Juan Poly/Graphic Triennial, Puerto Rico; and the 1st Encounter Between Two Seas: Bienal de São Paulo/Valencia (Brazil and Spain). Ramirez ERRE lives and works in San Diego, California.
Wall Sponsor: Blanchard Krasner & French
Photos by Philipp Scholz Rittermann