Ruben Ochoa

ARRESTED DAY

2015
rust on linen
24 x 18 inches

LA-based Ruben Ochoa uses rust to make his recent series of paintings. In fact, common rust is actually a form of iron oxide, often used as an inexpensive pigment in paint. In this oddly beautiful work, a swirling composition of velvety oranges and browns looks like a Color Field painting from the 1950s. The rust, now removed from its naturally occurring setting, takes on a more symbolic function as a meditation on the passage of time, social decay, and failed industrialism. Ochoa’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, most recently in Ruben Ochoa: watching, waiting, commiserating at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.

los angeles