Behind the Scenes With The Date Farmers

Yesterday I had the chance to hang out with my dear friends and extraordinary artists, The Date Farmers (Carlos Ramirez and Armando Lerma), while they installed the work for their new show, “Strange Fruit”.

I met The Date Farmers early into my career as a curator. I owe a lot of my development to the inspiring conversations we would have about art, mysticism, and the cycle of life. Their art is more than just acrylic and found objects; it’s a religious experience that transcends this dimension. Carlos and Armando don’t create art for art’s sake: this isn’t about aesthetics. Their work is a depiction of the way of the warrior, illustrating a path that has heart. What we see in their wooden sculptures, their cross-hatched icons on rusted pieces of tin, and their rainbow-colored collages of scavenged items is a visual diary rendered in three dimensions. These works chronicle the artist’s mythological journeys as well as their experiences and histories – past, present, and future. “Strange Fruit” opens today, Thursday, September 3rd at Fifty24SF.