An Instant Guide to Beacons, Volumes, Wells & Other Works by Esther Ruiz
$6; $5.10 member
8-page 'zine
Produced on the occasion of Esther Ruiz: Uncharted on view at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum from May 8 to September 2, 2024, organized by Caitlin Monachino, Curatorial and Publications Manager.
Predicated on both material and metaphysical investigations, Ruiz's sculptures balance the wonders of the natural world—gemstones, metamorphic rocks, ammonite fossils, abalone shells, among others—with man-made industrial materials such as concrete, epoxy, illuminated tubes, and commodity plastics. With a methodology largely shaped by her interest in geology, chemical elements, and organic forms, Ruiz's accompanying zine riffs off of the Eyewitness book series from the 1990s, educational guides that covered a broad range of subjects in the arts and sciences. In her version, Ruiz takes inspiration from the "Rocks and Minerals" field guide from 1992, creating a reference manual illustrating the many bodies of work that make up her studio practice.
