LOS ANGELES, CA.- The
Hammer Museum announced the appointment of Pablo José Ramírez as a new, full-time curator. Ramírez had previously been announced as a co-curator of Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living, alongside independent curator Diana Nawi. The curator, writer and cultural theorist will take up a permanent position with the Hammer in June 2023. The position is funded with a grant from the Ford Foundation.
Hammer Director Ann Philbin said, “I am so pleased to welcome Pablo José Ramírez to the Hammer as a full-time curator. I’ve spent the last year getting to know Pablo as he has developed the concept and artist list for the upcoming edition of Made in L.A. alongside his co-curator Diana Nawi. Pablo brings an incredible intellect and energy that will add a new dimension to the Hammer’s curatorial program. I’m grateful to the Ford Foundation for making this position possible.”
Ramírez said, “I’m delighted to join the Hammer Museum at this exciting moment of growth. As a leading institution in the US, the museum has championed an internationally renowned exhibition program and a social justice agenda in tandem with the challenges of a rapidly changing world. I cannot wait to delve into the plurality of Los Angeles, a city enriched by its vibrant communities and a legacy of social struggles. I look forward to joining the museum, and to contributing to the advancement of a program fostered by anti-colonial and diasporic histories.”
Pablo José Ramírez was the inaugural adjunct curator of First Nations and Indigenous art at Tate Modern, where he played a key role in shaping the acquisitions strategy and advancement of indigenous and non-western practices. During his tenure, he took a critical part in the groundbreaking first-ever museum deal to take on custodianship of a work by Kaqchikel artist Edgar Calel. Ramírez brought important causes to Tate’s collection, programs, and displays, such as the work of Edgar Heap of Birds, Fernando Palma, Abel Rodriguez, Venuca Evanan, and Chico da Silva. Ramírez was part of the curatorial council of the 58th Carnegie International with Sohrab Mohebbi, taking an integral role in shaping the Latin American representation with key art historical voices. In 2015 he co-curated the 19th Paiz Biennale: Transvisible with Cecilia Fajardo-Hill.
His work explores non-western ontologies, brown and indigenous histories, and the politics of non-colonial aesthetics. He holds an MA in contemporary art theory from Goldsmiths, University of London. Among his recent exhibitions are Beyond, The Sea Sings: Diasporic Intimacies and Labour, Times Art Center, Berlin (2021); La Medida del Silencio: Lawrence Abu Hamdan, NuMu, Guatemala (2020); The Shores of the World: on Commonality and Interlingual Politics, Display, Prague (2018); and Guatemala Después, co-curator, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, Parsons School of Design, New York (2015). Ramírez was the recipient of the 2019 Independent Curators International/CPPC Award for Central America and the Caribbean and is the co-founder of Infrasonica, a leading curatorial platform dedicated to research around non-western sonic cultures. Ramírez has lectured internationally for the Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, The National Museum of Oslo, MUAC, Gasworks, ParaSite, Kunstintituut Melly, University of Cape Town, Essex University, Cambridge University, University of Chicago, Simon Fraser University and The New School, among others. He has published extensively, including pieces for Artforum, e-flux, Arts of the Working Class, Artishock, and a number of catalogues and books.
