JOHN RIVAS
ABOUT | WORKS | EXHIBITIONS | PUBLICATIONS
ABOUT
John Rivas is a figurative painter whose narrative is guided by stories of his ancestors. As a first generation American, Rivas’ artwork is enriched with tales of family members, several of whom he’s met remotely or through photographs.
Rivas’ paintings occupy space like sculpture by juxtaposing found objects sourced from childhood, on the canvas. His brush strokes, thick at times with impasto, are expressive marks that add to the visual collage. The complexity of his work is made up of the true color spectrum of Latinx faces. Loaded with personal symbolism and themes that celebrate the Latinx concept of family and community, his work examines the socioeconomic, racial and cultural boundaries of immigrant lives.
The artist attributes the frenetic, raw energy of his work to the long history of hard-working family members. The raw “roughness and edges (of my work) comes from my family of farmers, family of construction workers- I know what it is to be under the sun, working, sweating, I know how it feels. I am a dirty kid, but I can make beauty out of anything.”
Rivas received his MFA at Columbia University.
WORKS
Para Siempre, 2020
Mixed media on canvas
20 x 16 in
Papi Rene, 2020
Mixed media on canvas
12 x 12 in
I sell ice in the winter, 2020
Mixed media on frame
17 12 x 21 in
No mas por favor, 2020
Mixed media on framed glass
39 x 31 in
EXHIBITIONS
PUBLICATIONS
LatchKey Gallery | 173 Henry Street | info@latchkeygallery.com | 646.213.9070