Virgen de la Soledad by Susana Ramos

Discovery

Susana Ramos
Virgen de la Soledad, 2024
Large
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06.2024
Virgen de la Soledad
Familia Perez Amezcua, Mexicali, Mexico
Size: Large
Year: 2024

Materials:

Guimpe: Mantilla collar and chest embellished with metallic lace.
Crown: Crown from New Mexico with a contemporary French-style golden halo.
Crucifix/Rosary: Antique Edinburgh mother-of-pearl rosary, paired with Miriam Haskell vintage earrings. The crucifix is made of bronze with fragments of the artist’s crowns and baroque pearls.
Dress: Contemporary dress with ribbon embroidery and hand-painted Alençon lace appliqués with gold accents.
Chasuble: Black Mexican velvet chasuble cape with silver galloon trim from the 1900s.
Artifact: Includes a golden brass church candle holder.
Pedestal: Carved pedestal embellished with gold leaf.

Label Text:

This evocative piece of Virgen de la Soledad, by Susana Ramos, showcases a Madonna adorned in a meticulously crafted ensemble that merges the sacred and the secular. The Madonna’s mantilla veil is complemented by a guimpe featuring a mantilla collar and a chest embellished with intricate metallic lace, adding a delicate touch. Crowning her is a piece from New Mexico, paired with a contemporary French-style golden halo. She holds an antique Edinburgh mother-of-pearl rosary, adorned with Miriam Haskell vintage earrings. The crucifix, made of bronze, incorporates fragments from the artist’s crowns and baroque pearls, creating a unique fusion of materials and history. Her dress is a contemporary creation, composed of ribbon embroidery and hand-painted Alençon lace appliqués with gold accents. Over this, she wears a black Mexican velvet chasuble cape, adorned with silver galloon trim from the 1900s, evoking a sense of solemnity and grace. Completing the piece is a golden brass church candle holder, symbolizing the light and devotion this Madonna inspires.

Other Work From Susana Ramos

Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena (Madonna in commemoration of her family) by Susana Ramos

Virgen de la Candelaria Acatic Jalisco by Susana Ramos

Divina Infanta, Guadalupe Baby by Susana Ramos

Nuestra Señora de la Puerta del Amanecer (Russian Icon Madonna) by Susana Ramos

Nuestra Señora del Rosario by Susana Ramos

Nuestra Señora de la Sagrada Eucaristía by Susana Ramos

Santísima Virgen María Inmaculada by Susana Ramos

See all artwork from Susana Ramos

The Madonna, or Virgin Mary, has many titles around the world. Some titles are dogmatic, while others are poetic or descriptive; some change because of language or cultural needs in different geographical locations. Overall, the multiple titles and versions of the Madonna have allowed artists worldwide to develop thousands of interpretations of what today we know as the icon of the Virgin Mary.

Growing up in Mexico, one of the most devout Christian countries globally, Susana Ramos creates sculptures of the Virgin with sacred repurposed artifacts. Through her faith and the many titles and versions of the Madonna, Honold Ramos recreates the many faces of the Virgin every day. In her studio, she stores thousands of modern, antique, and ancient textiles from around the world and with stones and crowns she creates relics worthy of being a channel of prayers and good intentions.

Born in a Catholic family in 1962, surrounded by women that used their creativity to sew, knit, and paint. Susana wakes up every morning, and like a continuous prayer, she sculpts the Virgin Mary, every day different as her creativity allows. In 1990 she created her first sculpture of Our Lady of Guadalupe using vintage materials from her family, and she continued making Virgins as commissions for devout believers. Today her modern sculptures are in many museums, art collections, homes, churches, and chapels; they reflect her faith, and they color the spiritual world of Christian believers.

Exhibition history:

Oct 17, 2022- Mar 26, 2023. Domesticanx, Museo del Barrio, New York, NY.

Feb 4- Aug 13, 2023. Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory, UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA.

Jun 18- Nov 6, 2022. Amalia Mesa-Bains: Venus Envy, Chapter I and Madrinas y Hermanas, SF MoMa, San Francisco, CA.

Oct 15- Mar 30, 2024. Baroque Madonna. Mexican Cultural Institute, Washington, DC.

Nov 5 - Mar 3, 2024, Archaeology of Memory, Phoenix Museum, Phoenix, Arizona.

Sept 20 - Feb 12, 2025, Amalia Bains: Archaeology of Memory, San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas.

Susana Ramos

San Diego, CA

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