Kevin Bermudez: Ninja
September 17 – November 5, 2022
Reception September 17, 6-8pm
Tierra Del Sol Gallery is pleased to present Kevin Bermudez: Ninja. Bermudez has been making art at Tierra Del Sol since 2016 and Ninja is his first solo exhibition.
Kevin Bermudez: Ninja is an experience with glazed ceramics, large scale paintings as well as nib pen ink drawings and textile flags, all dynamically exploring the ninja way. Bermudez discovered a deep appreciation for ninja and samurai subjects during the pandemic when television shows and films about them offered both an escape from the isolation and a highly visual hero response to the complex problems of the times.
Bermudez, like many artists through the ages, is drawn to the code of the samurai – strength, honor, skill and loyalty – as well as to the visual narratives that demonstrate the warrior code. He creates near human scale, stylized portraits elongating the legs or arms to imply power and agility. Bold backgrounds illuminate the costume, posture and grace of these warriors.
The dense, yet refined nib pen drawings are reminiscent of the work of Umar Rashid/Frohawk Two Feathers. Both artists bring humor and complexity into the humble medium. Rashid and Bermudez also play with time, imagining historical figures in contemporary contexts that challenge viewer perceptions and highlight ideas and stories that remain impactful across temporal and geographic specificities.
Like Rashid, Bermudez is skilled at exploring his subject matter across media. Bermudez’s ceramic masks, inspired by Japanese Kabuki masks, the artform that began in the 17th century during the Edo period, reveal his expertise in expressing his ideas in three dimensions. Kabuki was originally performed by women who were later banned from the theater. The style and enduring legacy of this work is important to young, contemporary artists of color who also live and work in environments of erasure. Bermudez adds his own personality and vision to this ancient form, reminding the viewer of the artist’s weapon of choice: making as a means to make space for multiple voices and ideas.
The Tierra Del Sol Studios and Gallery support over 120 artists and celebrate their activation of art to tell stories that matter. Kevin Bermudez’s ninja installation is aesthetically rich and narrative, full of life and the stealth fight for justice. Kevin Bermudez: Ninja opens with a public reception September 17, 6-8 and runs through November 5, 2022.
