new image art gallery
The closing of a show is always a bitter sweet endeavor. We've become so accustomed to the bright yellow walls, and the lively works of the Date Farmers. We love the quarters glued to the floor, and the Date Farmer Doll House. Complete with knife wielding DF paper dolls.
Tomorrow is your last day to see "Strange Fruit" you have been advised...
Because when one door closes... it closes for reals.
This serendipitous collaboration we know as The Date Farmers, moves on a higher plane than most. Their work has enough personality to make the gallery bounce with energy. That, combined with the bright yellow walls and a bad-ass Video Arcade machine, set the scene for what some opening reception attendees called a "Delicious" show. As a finishing touch, the boys super glued a quarter to the gallery floor... mischief makers.
The work keeps you on your toes, they beguile you with bright colors and familiar icons, while smacking you lightly across the face with some honest social commentary. A moral behind the story, if you will . It's always fresh and gets the message across ... and we love it.
A Date Farmer's hand drawn map required for deciphering the price list.
They are a seriously ingenious duo.
Thank you to everybody who made it out last night!
As well as many thanks to DJ Alf Alpha for the tunes and Marsea from New Image Art Gallery for coming out to support.
More shots for you tomorrow.
Well, we will anyway...
FIFTY24SF Gallery Presents “Strange Fruit” New Works by The Date Farmers
Fifty24SF is proud to host “Strange Fruit”- a solo exhibition by The Date Farmers.
Returning to Fifty24SF Gallery, the Date Farmers is a collaborative work between artists Carlos Ramirez and Armando Lerma. Originally from Indios, California, the two attribute their paintings, collages, and three-dimensional pieces to inspiration from Mexican-American traditional values and contemporary west coast culture. The artists look to graffiti, Mexican street murals, traditional revolutionary posters, sign painting, prison art and tattoos for their influence.
The Date Farmers prefer to use scavenged materials, often found near their desert homes in southern California and nearby Mexico. “Using stuff that was thrown away is Mexican ingenuity. People’s idea of art is that it’s really expensive and [made of] nice materials, but found objects are so abundant, they’re much easier and freeing for us.”
Exploring a range of emotions, from humorous to disturbing, “Strange Fruit” is influenced by “the everyday stories, social politics and myths that take place and unfold around us on a daily.” The show represents the wide spectrum from which they draw inspiration, and the duo uses materials that allow them to be resourceful, yet abundant with character.
The Date Farmers have had International gallery exhibitions in Tokyo, London and Stockholm. They appeared at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado for the Manifest Hope Gallery.
“Strange Fruit” features new works on display at FIFTY24SF Gallery from September 3 – September 24, 2009.
