Esther Ruiz
Colored plexiglas, cement and neon lights are few of the materials used by Esther Ruiz in her work.
Her sculptures are mesmerizing and minimal. They make for pleasing and engaging in-person experiences. We had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about herself and how she creates them.
Tell us about yourself.
I was born in Houston, Texas; the first in my family to be born in the United States. I transferred a couple times but graduated from Rhodes College. I currently live in Los Angeles. Brooklyn was my home for eight years prior.
How did you get started making sculptures?
I've always been making art. I took my first private lessons in elementary school and again in middle school. When I reached high school I began making sculpture independently. I floated for a bit and resumed in 2007 while at Tulane University. My current body of work can be traced back to the work I made at Rhodes.
What are you most inspired by?
Landscape, fictional landscapes, light, space, science and science fiction films. Memories of Seventeen magazines, 90s freedom and of course minimal artworks. Most notably, Eva Hesse, James Turrell, Donald Judd and my peers.
Guide us through the process of creating some of your more recent work using neon, plexiglass (referring to Well XIII, edition 5).
I began making these from a sketchbook full of amorphous shapes from around 2012-13. I then added color to the edges of my favorite blobs and eventually made them into neon. I experimented making them in various colors but have come back again and again to the combination of the pink light and blue plexi; I love the reflection of the light and space within the Well.
“I love working with found synthetic materials and pairing them with rocks and minerals. ”
What materials do you love working with the most and do you have some you would like to explore in the future?
I love working with found synthetic materials and pairing them with rocks and minerals. I really want to work with marble and large rocks!
What’s next for you?
I have some work on view at Collarworks in Troy, New York. And I'll be showing with Jacob's LA at Spring Break Art Fair LA in a couple weeks. And I'm really excited to have a solo presentation at Time Equities Art in Buildings Chelsea window in New York City in March during Armory week. After that I'm excited to get into my new studio to make new work!
Written by Diane Lindquist