Fifth in the Global Contemporary series, this exhibition showcases new large-scale paintings and site-specific installations by Bony Ramirez.

Over the course of a year, he explored the Museum’s collections broadly, with a focus on historic portraiture, landscape, and contemporary art. Childhood memories of the Dominican Republic and the complicated histories of the Caribbean inform his surreal narrative style. Cattleya is a genus of orchid native to Central and South America that Ramirez associates with colonialism. The exhibition probes the legacy of colonialism and the effects of the tourism industry in the Caribbean, while also reimagining what resistance can look like.

Global Contemporary is a series of year-long installations showcasing new work by living artists in dialogue with the Museum’s collections.

Installation view, Bony Ramirez: Cattleya, The Newark Museum of Art. Photo by Richard Goodbody 

Installation view, Bony Ramirez: Cattleya, The Newark Museum of Art. Photo by Richard Goodbody 

Installation view, Bony Ramirez, Allegory of Liberation, 2024. Acrylic, soft oil pastel, color pencil, wallpaper, Bristol paper on wood panel, 48 x 48 in. Courtesy of the artist © Bony Ramirez. Photo by Richard Goodbody 

Bony Ramirez, Caribe Express/Caribe Tours, 2024. Acrylic, soft oil pastel, color pencil, wallpaper, plywood, painted horse skull, screws, Bristol paper on wood panel, 80 x 320 in. (203.2 x 812.8 cm) Courtesy of the artist. ©Bony Ramirez. Photo by Daniel Greer 

Bony Ramirez, Cattleya, 2024. Acrylic, soft oil pastel, color pencil, wallpaper, Bristol paper on wood panel, 96 in. (243.84 cm) Courtesy of the artist. ©Bony Ramirez. Photo by Daniel Greer  

About the Artist

Bony Ramirez is a Dominican-born artist who lives and works in New Jersey. A self-taught artist, he paints surreal images of contemporary Caribbean life, as well as reimagining colonial histories. He engages with Western European painting traditions as a way to think about the colonial influence still present in the Caribbean.

Bony Ramirez PhotoCredit XEVOLVEZ

Bony Ramirez

Artist

Born in Tenares, Salcedo, Dominican Republic, Bony Ramirez now lives and works in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. His art bridges his Dominican heritage and contemporary life, combining painting and drawing to create life-size mixed media portraits. Ramirez’s work features bold, mysterious figures on painted wood panels, reflecting Caribbean history and European colonial influence. Incorporating materials like wallpaper, swords, and rhinestones, his pieces offer a rich, allegorical depth, drawing inspiration from Mannerist and Renaissance portraiture.