We are excited to announce our Fall 2025 Hudson Showroom Opening Reception, Sisyphus Strut by Juan Ramos, on August 28, 2025, from 6–8 PM. Juan Ramos returns to Artpace after 23 years, following his 2002 Texas Artists residency in our International Artist-in-Residence program.
Sisyphus Strut presents a reflective and forward-looking exploration of the Juan Ramos’ career, bridging formative works with new creative directions. Central to the exhibition is Southside Loteria, an installation originally developed during the artist’s 2002 residency at Artpace. This work examines the fluidity of cultural identity, a theme that remains resonant in contemporary society as individuals continually adapt and redefine their sense of self in both physical and digital spaces.
The piece features four San Antonio locals whose varied perspectives on their surroundings and relationships range from expansive worldviews to intimate personal experiences. These earlier works similarly interrogate identity through distinctive formats such as maps and games, each presenting multiple portraits within a cohesive visual framework.
Sisyphus Strut also offers a preview of the artist’s long-term project, San Anto Sentinels, a graphic novel currently in development. Displayed in a salon-style arrangement, the selection includes illustrations and text that will form part of the final narrative. Drawing upon regional cultural touchstones, including local music, the exhibition is accompanied by a looping audio track featuring twelve songs from San Antonio bands.
Art and music have been intertwined in the artist’s life since 1979, when formal art training began alongside an enduring involvement in musical performance. The artist has played in numerous bands since 1983, including the post-punk group Glorium in Austin, whose DIY ethos contributed to the founding of San Anto Cultural Arts, a non-profit community arts organization. Before returning to San Antonio, the artist-initiated Sexto Sol, a multidisciplinary music and visual art project that continues locally. Like the artist’s post-Chicano, conceptually driven visual practice, Sexto Sol is grounded in a sound and sensibility deeply rooted in San Antonio’s cultural identity.
About Juan Ramos
Juan Miguel Ramos is a product of San Antonio’s art education system. He began his training at the age of eight at the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts, later studying at the San Antonio Art Institute and the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. He went on to earn both his BFA and MFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Ramos is a cofounder of San Anto Cultural Arts (SACA), a nonprofit community resource for artistic and spiritual growth. From 2001 to 2007, he served as an adjunct art instructor at UTSA, Northwest Vista College, and Palo Alto College. In Fall 2002, he completed an Artpace artist residency in San Antonio.
His practice often incorporates photography, Sharpie drawings, text, and video to challenge identity stereotypes in a post-Chicano culture. He has exhibited internationally and in notable solo shows at the Holter Museum in Montana, Luckman Center Gallery in Los Angeles, Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis, and Museo Alameda in San Antonio. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, McNay Art Museum, New Museum in New York, Joe A. Diaz, Albuquerque Museum, Ruby City Art Museum, and the San Antonio Museum of Art.
Highlights of his career include selection for the Trienal Poli/Gráfica de San Juan (2004), Altoids Curiously Strong Collection (2005), Xicanx: Dreamers + Changemakers at the Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia (2022), and Cultivating Community Through Art: Sam Coronado Serie Project (2022). In 2023, his work was featured in Tangible|Nothing at Ruby City Art Museum, and he presented the solo exhibition Secret City Series 2023 at Un Grito Gallery.
Ramos has been featured in Glasstire and e-flux, and wrote “Sala Stories, Part Six” for Glasstire in October 2021. In addition to his visual art, he is a professional musician who has toured nationally. He currently teaches art at Bihl Haus Arts in San Antonio, Texas.