Ruben Ramirez: El Cibao

May 6 – June 3, 2003
Artist Talk: Thursday, May 22
New York Public Library – Fordham Center Branch
2556 Bainbridge Avenue
Bronx, NY 10458

Ruben Ramirez examines his heritage with photographs of the people from the island known as La Republica Dominicana. He returns to his parent’s beloved region of El Cibao and reconnects with his culture, family, and community.

He states, “my images contain stories that are serene moments in the everyday life of El Cibao area. They are intimate memories in my history, found in the gaze of a child, the curve of a farmer’s back, or the name painted on a fruit cart. I offer these images of my heritage set upon the bare earth during a card game, in a shoe repair shop, or the arms of a mother. My work is to interpret people absorbed in the craft of everyday life.”

Ramirez was born and raised in New York City, where his journey as a photographer began at a young age. His passion for photography lead him to pursue a Bachelors’s Degree in Liberal Arts with a specialty in photography and a minor in Psychology at The City University of New York. His work has been exhibited at the City College Art Gallery.