Ron Abram (born 1962, Belleville, IL; lives Columbus, OH) has a BFA in Printmaking from the University of Central Florida, Orlando and an MFA in Printmaking from Tyler School of Art & Architecture, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Abram was a Semifinalist in The Print Center’s 91st ANNUAL International Competition and exhibited at The Print Center in group shows in 1987 and 1990. In 1995 he was included in Contemporary Prints from the USA, organized by The Print Center and shown in Riga, Latvia; Tallinn, Estonia; and Vilnius, Lithuania. Other exhibitions include at Zygote Press, Cleveland, OH; Allegheny College, Meadville, PA; Taller Puertorriqueño, Philadelphia; Moon Gallery, Berry College, Rome, GA; and Print Santa Fe, Zane Bennet Contemporary Art, NM; as well as 55 limited, BBA and RISE Berlin, all Berlin and Alte Feuerwache Loschwitz Gallery, Dresden, all Germany; and the Museum of the University of Guanajuato, Mexico. Abram’s work has been included in multiple publications and is held in numerous collections including Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA; The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. He has had artist residencies at In Cahoots Residency, Petaluma, CA; Art Print Residence, Barcelona, Spain; Takt, Berlin; and Temple University, Rome, Italy, among others. Abram is Professor of Visual Arts & Queer Studies at Denison University, Granville, OH.
Statement from the Artist:
My identity as a gay man has a profound impact on the prints I make, both in approach and scope. I connect the dots of sexuality, identity and culture past and present, while seeking meaning and retaining mystery and magic. Mixing popular imagery and personal symbolism, I explore the “low brow” traditions of printmaking using comics, cartoons, film, printed matter and erotica. I work in a number of processes including etching/intaglio, screenprinting, relief, photopolymer and risograph.
The series “Por Cayetano” combines traditional etching with photopolymer plates and envisions my ancestor’s immigration from Catalonia to Puerto Rico in the 19th century with a Queer juxtaposition of personal imagery and imagination. The “Wrangler” series of intaglio tondi (circular forms) draws from historical gay erotica to not only explore intimate sexual relationships but offer commentary on power dynamics, gender roles and toxic masculinity in the American political landscape. These are choreographed compositions of cowboys inspired by 1950s physique magazines produced by and for gay men. I also explore popular myths and stereotypes of the Mexican Vaqueros that inspired the American Cowboy, in work that imagines a Queer dance across our borderlands.