March 2017 - The Art World: Mauricio Ramirez

Originally from Chicago, Mauricio Ramirez is a visual artist now living in Albuquerque. His pieces include contemporary murals, fine art, and commercial art. His work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC, as well as in Chicago, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, and Miami. Back in November, in the historic neighborhood of Nob Hill, Ramirez installed his latest mural, which will be featured at the Nob Hill Bar and Grill. The mural was curated by Max Baptiste of We Are This City, a local platform dedicated for artists to exhibit their work in unique venues. This mural is his second, large-scale work featured in Albuquerque. Ramirez uses 2-d design skills combined with bursts of color to create his works. Ramirez notes, “This mural features an Aztec Eagle warrior, which is probably the most popular iconic image in Mexican art, and I’m combining it with an updated painting style that leans towards a contemporary approach.”

The project couldn’t have come at a better time with the construction underway on Route 66 for the ART Project. With the loss of trees and flowers to construction, Ramirez uses street art to ease the anxiety many locals feel about the modernization of this historic neighborhood commercial strip.

Ramirez has also had the opportunity to work with actor Shia Labeouf on an Anti-Trump performance art project, where a 24-hour live-streaming camera was mounted to a wall with the message, "HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US," referring to President Trump.

Ramirez was recently selected nationally by VitaminWater to receive a $45,000 grant to help fuel his creative hustle. He has also created commissioned murals for the following companies: VitaminWater, Budlight, Superbowl 49, Redbull, Microsoft, and Stella Artois. Ramirez’s high-end clients include Anheuser-Busch, Stella Artois, Warner Music, and Microsoft.