A Brief Creative History / Ricardo Acevedo

Richard (Ricardo) Acevedo was born of Yaqui-Mexican & Finlandian decent. Raised in Southern California. Pursued artistic endeavors throughout life, originally in the visual arts which morphed into music and performance by the 1980's and then returned full circle...

Formed influential So.Cal. New wave art bands Little Baby Strangers, A Soft Zoo, Freaks Amor and The Blue Box throughout the 80's. Moved to San Francisco by late 87. While in S.F. reformed Little Baby Strangers and formed the crypto-pop band Mona Lisa Suitcase with Mandible Chatter guitarist Grant Miller. Also began serious work in writing while taking course work at the S.F. Art Institute in Performance, 3D Design and Video Art & Photography. Had major breakthrough in S.F. poetry scene opening for Kathy Acker and working out of the Club Commotion Art co-op.

Returned to So.Cal. By '91, released poetry chap book "Any", collaborated with Techno-Ambient artist Keith McGrew on the sonic project, SecondCulture's CD "It...the Other One". 1st serious dabbling in computer aided graphics while creating cover for SecondCulture CD.

Moved to Flagstaff AZ ('93-'98), was co-creator of the Difference Machine Art Space. Studied under & collaborated with southwest experimental filmmaker & photographer Larry Holloway, James Tyrell artist Craig "Vern Bob Wire" Baumhoffer and created music with progressive guitarist Rick Anderson in the group Rye Catchers.

Wrote and directed multimedia performance piece/ film, "6, 16, 29" for performance at Coconino Center for the Arts.

Formed "In the RA Studios" fall of 1995.

Wrote and directed multimedia piece, "Masculism", with Ballet Aztlan choreographer David Ramos for Planet Earth Theatre in Phx. AZ. Created neo-surreal/sensualist film " Come Home" as a work in progress for Alwun House's "Exotic" show Phx. AZ. And had a film, photography and performance retrospective at Peter Reagan's Metropophobobia Art Space Phx. AZ winter 1997. Also formed experimental music group Cup.

Moved to Austin, TX in July of 1998. Immediately set about incorporating more technology into the artistic vision that had been defined while in Arizona via the scanning and manipulating of photo negatives to create painterly photo-graphic art and the use of digital video in the creation of linear & non filmic art.

Participated in numerous group shows around Austin. ProJex's Nude Work 2000 & 2001 & Gallery Lombardy's Erotica 2001 as well as having individual shows at F8 Gallery, DiverseArts Gallery and Debbie Peacock Gallery. Really broke out with "GET" show at Wet Salon & Studios in which Acevedo sold numerous works causing Austin art critic Michael Barns to State "Ricardo Acevedo is one of the best of Austin's sensually charged artists"

Not to be limited to one-dimensional art, Acevedo spread his wings by creating visuals behind such provocative musical artists as Laura Scarborough, Woodwork & Art-Metal savant Titsworth and his band Pail. The direction and camera work, respectively, of the latter's music videos "Birth", "Mindscar", "Youth" and the soon to be released "Space Monkey", were embraced by the Austin Musical Network as some of the best local productions of 2000, 2002 and 2003. Gaining Acevedo notoriety as a visualist director.

Also in the early '00's Acevedo pioneered the process/concept of photographic painting, described here by Stacee Millangue of Austin's "Idea Gallery" as "...Ricardo Acevedo's, work like "Through Her" ...defines the possibilities of modern photography. His image of a female nude also contains several layers, looking similar to a ghostly colored x-ray. After taking several photos of his subject, he printed the film, purposefully over-exposing some parts, lightening and darkening others. He then digitally created a collage and added organic layer of wax and pigment." Or as England based creative director Ali Hobb's is quoted as saying, "Ricardo is a sensory genius" Musically in 2002 Acevedo did guest vocals & lyrics for the Flat Hand 5 project formed by Seattle based musician & underground personality D.A. Sabastian of gokustom.com. In fall he produced the soundtrack to the film "Whole" featuring Austin based artists Govinda, Laura Scarborough, Michaelanglo and Kan'nal to name a few.

Not slowing down in 2003, Acevedo curated and contributed to the deconstructing of the nude with "Contour" featuring painting and mixed media works at WET Salon & Studios in March. He had his second collection of prose released by DiverseArts Press entiteled "Sonambulo" in June, and then collaborated with choreographer Ellen Bartel, composer Graham Reynolds and digital media artist Buck Wall on "Sonambulo" (the malti-media dance concert) based on his book which was performed at Austin's Off Center in July of the same year.

Acevedo is presently at work on three short films "Grace", "Luck" and "Faith" with Austin based producer Anna Garza Franklin, and continuing to plumb the depths of his and our psyche with perversions of light and form via lense and print."I'm attemping to haunt you with yourself" Ricardo Acevedo '04.Complied and written by Harold McMillan of DiverseArts Production Group, with the help and consent of Ricardo Acevedo.