Art21 proudly presents an artist segment, featuring Daniel Lind-Ramos, from the "Everyday Icons" episode in the eleventh season of the "Art in the Twenty-First Century" series.

"Everyday Icons" premiered in April 2023 on PBS.

In his hometown of Loíza, Puerto Rico, artist Daniel Lind-Ramos looks on as drums beat the rhythms of bomba music, intricately costumed figures parade up and down the street, and community members dance and celebrate together. Inspired by his town’s diverse and inventive culture, the artist’s work reflects the history and energy of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Many of his materials come from the island itself; Lind-Ramos combs the beaches and streets of Loíza for palm fronds and other plant life, items that wash up on the shore, and discarded, everyday materials that speak to the story of the Caribbean. These objects take on new and multiple meanings within the artist’s work, folded into narratives about immigration, natural disaster, and colonization that often transform them. His sculptures often reference real-life experiences he interprets and reinvents, alluding to historical events, cultural practices, and religious iconography. “My intention with this approach, among other things,” says the artist, “is to remember.”

Born and raised in Loíza, Lind-Ramos and his practice are deeply connected to the town and its communities. Working with former students, neighbors, friends, and family, the artist organizes performances and community gatherings. At one such event, Lind-Ramos hands out cardboard masks embodying ancestral figures to individuals as they march down the road. Neighbors come together to share poetry and music, to express themselves in speeches and dance. Much of the artist’s work is about communication and community, speaking to the specific story of Loíza and Puerto Rico while connecting it to a broader one about the human condition. “My intention was to find a language, find a process, find materials,” says Lind-Ramos, “that established the link between our collective experience and somehow bring something different but authentic.”

Learn more about the artist at:
https://art21.org/artist/daniel-lind-ramos/

CREDITS | Executive Producer: Tina Kukielski. Series Producer: Nick Ravich. Director & Producer: Ian Forster. Editor: Bryan Chang. Director of Photography: Gabriela Díaz Arp.

Assistant Curator: Jurrell Lewis. Associate Producer: Andrea Chung. Design & Animation: Ryan Carl, Nikita Iziev. Composer: Andrew Orkin. Additional Vidoe Editor: Addison Post. Additional Photography: Bria Granville, Nate Ilardi, Christopher Lerch. Assistant Camera: Karla Claudio-Betancourt, Trevor Edwards. Location Sound: Tatiana Monge, Barbara Rivera.

Video Post-Production Services: Cut + Measure. Video Post-Production Producer: Alex Laviola. Colorist: Chris Ramey. Video Post-Production Coordinator: Catherine DiRosa. Online & Conform: David Gauff. Additional Animation: Andy Cahill. Audio Post-Production Services: Konsonant Post. Re-Recording Mixer & Sound Editor: Gisela Fullà-Silvestre. Assistant Editors: Ellen Askey, Michelle Hanks. Audio Description: 3Play Media. Station Relations De Shields Associates. Legal Counsel: Withersworldwide. Additional Curatorial Research: Susan Thompson.

Additional Art21 Staff: Lauren Barnett, Hannah DeGarmo, Lolita Fierro, Joe Fusaro, Molaundo Jones, Emma Nordin, Anna Pruett, Jessica Svenson, Noor Tamari, Nora Wimmer. Interns: Stephanie Ades, Sekou Cherif, Yeon Cho, Michaela Esteban, Emma Flood, Renee Rienecker, James Santiago, Adam Varca, Dani Wieder.

Artwork Courtesy: Daniel Lind-Ramos. Archival Materials: ABC News, National Gallery of Art, Shutterstock, Sky News via Getty Images.

Special Thanks: The Art21 Board of Trustees, Danielle Brock, Jorge Cepeda, Haus der Kunst, Sasha Hecht, National Gallery of Art, Lester Nurse Allende, Hector Quiñones Fuentes, Sarasota Museum of Art, Rachel Smith Sepúlveda.

Major underwriting for Season 11 of Art in the Twenty-First Century is provided by PBS, National Endowment for the Arts, Lambent Foundation, The Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Toby Devan Lewis, Robert Lehman Foundation, and Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman.

Series Creators: Susan Dowling and Susan Sollins.

©2023 Art21, Inc.

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