Welcome, I'm Ricardo

I have had the privilege of seeing Ricardo Arango develop into a sculptor of amazing creative abilities. His remarkable use of found materials; recycled metal and glass in combination with marble and ceramic draws the interest of art collectors and curators alike.

As a professor in ceramics and clay sculpture for over three decades at Teachers College/Columbia University in New York, I have seen and worked with a number of artists. Ricardo’s unique embrace of diverse materials has resulted in our collaborating as artists on projects. The Ancient Mirror series is a perfect example of our creating together. These sculptures are inspired by Ancient Etruscan and Roman Hand mirrors. Ricardo developed a technique whereby I do the linear drawn imagery and he applies crushed glass to the surface before firing. Because of his innovative welding ideas, he creates the unusual supports and handles for our mirror sculptures. We are invited to exhibit the Ancient Mirror sculpture at the Venice Biennale 2022.

Ricardo Arango’s Oracle wall pieces attest to the visual impact of creatively combining clay, glass and welded steel. The mysterious experience in looking into the melted glass and clay discs, surrounded by what appears to be floating metal and organic forms is memorable. The viewer is drawn into the “lightness” created by the artist when realizing the materials are hard and often seen as static.

Arango’s art is spontaneous and creates a powerful visual dynamic and unique in his ability to marry diverse materials. He is a younger generation of expressionist sculptors with inspiration from artists such as Sir Anthony Caro and Louise Nevelson.

Thomas W. Lollar

Arts & Humanities

Teachers College/ Columbia University

New York City