Armando Lerma, one-half of The Date Farmers
The Date Farmers recently opened what is sure to be their largest and most memorable exhibition to date. The duo of Armando Lerma and Carlos Ramirez, hailing out of the Coachella Valley, are on the ascent in their artistic career and now join such esteemed artists as Andy Warhol, Richard Serra, Robert Rauschenberg, and Carl Andre to show at Ace Gallery.
Consisting of a wide range of paintings, collages, sculptures, effigies, installations, and videos, the show was at once immersive, comprehensive, and highly impressive. The Date Farmers mix of found sugary corporate pop imagery, such as Coca-Cola signs, Hello Kitty stickers, and Spongebob Squarepants cut-outs, juxtaposes darkly with their political and cultural original artwork. The appropriated images provide us with a sense of familiarity, while painted creatures that crawl the desert and valley – scorpions, tarantulas, and rattlesnakes provide a symbolic connection with the artists. Each piece portrays a message that is at once personal, social, and sometimes humorous.
The exhibition is up at Ace Gallery until February and it is highly recommended that you go see it at 5514 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036. But for now, see a lot more from the show after the jump…
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- DJ Alf Alpha
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- Armando of The Date Farmers
