CARLOS RAMIREZ — XOCHIPILLI

Xochipilli explores the tension between cultural resilience and environmental degradation. By rendering the ancient Aztec deity Xochipilli — patron of art, song, and the revelry of nature — onto discarded modern “artifacts,” the artist illuminates the stark contrast between pre-colonial reverence for the natural world and contemporary cycles of excess and waste. Each artifact — an abandoned gas station sign, an antique car — serves as a relic of our time, once emblematic of progress, now hollowed by obsolescence. Xochipilli combines traditional and contemporary techniques, including hand-painted elements — an homage to Mesoamerican artistic practices. The process of adorning the artifacts mirrors the act of reclaiming lost histories. Xochipilli, traditionally associated with nature’s abundance, is depicted in a way that acknowledges both the vibrancy of life and the ghosts of our excess.

About the artist: Based in Indio, CA, Carlos Ramirez’s painting and sculpture respond to the inequalities within Mexican American communities and champion the common man as underdog. He uses house paint, glittery stickers, handwritten text, rusted bottle caps, discarded packaging, and acrylic paint to depict figures such as snakes, spiders, and scorpions with Catholic symbolism, aliens, gang members, pop-culture references, and commercial imagery.

Artist website: @c.ramirez2323