Gabriel Ramos was born 1987 in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico and currently lives and works in Florida. He obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of South Florida in 2011. Ramos’ photographs draw from his childhood memories, bicultural heritage and explore the ephemeral quality of home. His current artwork is mainly photography, but it has expanded into sculpture, installation and drawing.

Artist Statement

My current body of photographs portrays small-scale diorama structures of urban/suburban neighborhoods constructed out of paper.  The inspiration for these constructions is drawn from my childhood memory.  The dioramas also draw from my bicultural heritage; the photographs are a synthesis of my own blend of Puerto Rican and American cultural perspectives.  As a result of the conflated cultures within the constructed image, I create an imaginary space both within and beyond the photograph. The road is a vestige or a representation of a journey and its presence is symbolic of life’s many trajectories.

The concepts of fragility and the ephemeral quality of a home are some of the important factors in my process and my artwork. In the creation of each photograph I am a scavenger and an editor of light, composition, form and color within the constructed environment. Delicacy and the frailty of the materials foreground the passage of time through the instability of the medium I use to create my sets. My work also foregrounds the ephemerality of life through the destruction of the work, from which only the photograph survives.

To see more of Gabriel’s work visit his website.