Whether he is painting, teaching, curating or creating a video, multimedia artist Humberto Ramirez is likely to be thinking about social issues and the power of art in shaping values and perceptions. In his exhibit at the ArtisTree Community Arts Center in South Pomfret, Vermont, on view from May 17 through June 1, Ramirez’s abstract paintings allude to botanical gardens that use the conventions of abstraction but go further, delving into the deeply rooted experience of the body and the world. In a way, he explained, “they are less a radical denial of social reality than a reaffirmation of the desire for creative space and autonomy. The works are about form, space, light and color,” he added. “They point to the corporeal world and seek to transcend it.” If this concept seems difficult to grasp, it may be because Ramirez is trained in both the sciences and the humanities, and he … [Read more...] about BOTANICAL ABSTRACTION: HUMBERTO RAMIREZ CREATES SPACE AT ARTISTREE