Ramiro Ávila
Mirada Lesa, 2018
4’20’’

Mirada Lesa is part of a project called Vista Menguante, in which the artist, in his search for new ways to produce art, designs a strategy based on sensory deprivation.

Ramiro Ávila has a condition called “Dead Eye,” which affects his right ocular organ. This condition arises in childhood as an imbalance in eye development with therapy; however, after that age, it becomes irreversible.

For this project, the strategy revolved around forcing the use of the affected eye to explore new experiences, for which a specialized mask was designed.

Mirada Lesa is a compilation of videos recorded with a GoPro camera, capturing a first-person perspective while the artist wore the mask. The footage is edited as a music video, adopting a presentation style reminiscent of an anime opening.

The video is displayed using virtual reality glasses for mobile phones, with one of the channels featuring a focus effect to represent the visual impairment in the artist’s eye.

Music:
“Be A Body”
Grimes
From the album: Visions
Label: 4AD
Copyright: ℗© 2012 4AD Ltd under exclusive license from Arbutus Records

Ramiro Ávila
Guadalajara, 1989
Lives and works in Guadalajara.

A graduate of the University of Guadalajara, his work has been exhibited in venues such as the Zapopan Art Museum, the Museum of the City (Guadalajara), and independent spaces like Salón Acme (Mexico City), TRAMA CENTRO, Galería Pantalla Blanca (Mexico City), Guadalajara 90210, among others.

Ramiro Ávila’s work intersects various disciplines in an effort to approach the notion of the unattainable, drawing on forms of knowledge rooted in the supernatural, superstition, mythology, and ritual. These practices expand the possibility of finding meaning in reality, infusing everyday experience with speculative depth, which is often externalized in the form of narrative.