ArtJunk
No. 06—2025

Pura Vida

Galerie Droste

Conrad Ruiz

Info: Nearly 500 years ago, the Danza de los Voladores, a ritualistic dance originating from the indigenous peoples of Central Mexico, emerged as an aerial plea for rain. With dancers spiraling from a towering 100-foot pole in costumes representing earth, wind, fire and water, the ceremony served as a celebration of—and meditation on—abundance and scarcity. But for Los Angeles-based painter Conrad Ruiz, this ancient tradition is not just cultural history, it’s also a metaphorical framework for Pura Vida, his latest exhibition at Galerie Droste, Düsseldorf. The Los Angeles-based artist has spent nearly two decades honing a painting practice that is both omnivorous and multidimensional, feeding on the chaos of modern image consumption, then reverse engineering its harshness via delicate watercolor applications. (…)

Galerie Droste Conrad Ruiz ArtJunk