Franco Mondini-Ruiz: The Powder Room: new paintings and porcelains

Franco Mondini-Ruiz`s installation will be composed of sculpture and paintings arranged in the gallery in a site-specific “botanica” setting similar to the folk-medicine markets that pervade his native San Antonio, Texas. The works range from porcelain statuettes and painted landscapes to piñatas all of which rely on smart visual puns and a Gilded Age sensibility. With prices that vary greatly (one hundred to several thousand dollars) and a maximal-clutter aesthetic, Mondini-Ruiz`s work questions consumerism, presupposes a more democratic art market and regales the preciousness of art objects. Franco Mondini-Ruiz was born in San Antonio and now lives and works in New York and San Antonio, Texas. He became a full-time artist in 1995 after giving up a law career. In 2000, he was included in the Whitney Biennial where he set up a table outside the museum and sold work for 10 cents to 10 dollars. Recent solo shows include The UCLA Fowler Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, MI; Frederieke Taylor Gallery,New York. He has also been represented in a number of group shows including Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, TX.