Suma Orientalis Fine Art is delighted to present Ricardo Chavez Tovar’s “The Muse Came To My Show Dropping Her Crown At My Art Installation”, the last chapter of his Tropikal Avant-Dark series.

This exhibition will take place at our gallery in Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur from 13 January to 4 February 2024.

Renowned for his photogram works, Ricardo Chavez Tovar invites the audience to delve into a world where conscious interactions with the muse are imperative. His works of art encourage a voyage into spirituality and the subconscious rather than offering definitive answers. The artist is a firm believer in the originality of art and its ongoing quest for improvement.

Ricardo’s command of the photogram process is evident in every detail, which is purposeful and ranges from the artwork to the frame and presentation. He creates mysterious images that evoke feelings and tell tales by combining hand-drawn and hand-cut shapes that go beyond just visual enjoyment. The figures merge imaginative rites with Dadaist silliness, creating places for interpretation and dreaming against the photogram’s deep black background.

Ricardo questions the alchemical transformation of light into a visual narrative and embraces the unpredictable nature of outcomes in his photograms, which are akin to crystals reflecting philosophical ideas and making art as means for seeking illumination. 

Ricardo Chavez Tovar graduated from the National School of Painting, Sculpture, and Printmaking in Mexico City in 1983. He studied Chinese painting at the China National Academy of Fine Art in 1999. His main medium is photogram, a medieval technique for capturing images without cameras. In 1995, he won First Prize in the Snow Sculpture Contest at Snowfest, Ontario, Canada. His solo exhibitions include “The Subtle Harmony Of A Dead End” (Suma Orientalis Fine Art, 2023), “TROPIKAL AVANT-DARK” (Suma Orientalis Fine Art, 2019) and “Albino Shadows On The Tiger’s Tail” (Alliance Française, Penang, Malaysia, 2011). He’s also been part of group exhibitions like “Is Art Serious?” (Darling Muse Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2006) and “Starting” (Shanghai Art Museum, People’s Republic of China, 1996).