Ivester Contemporary is pleased to present Redacted, a two-person exhibition of new work by Emilio Villalba and Carlos Ramirez, co-curated by Matt Diehl. The exhibition opens May 23, and brings together two distinct yet deeply connected artistic responses to the emotional and political realities of the present moment.
Redacted considers how contemporary life is shaped by constant exposure to social and political instability through media saturation. While both artists engage with current events, they do so through distinct visual languages.
Ramirez confronts these conditions directly. His works incorporate politically charged imagery and text, including references to immigration enforcement, protest language, and censorship. Motifs such as black redaction bars obscure the eyes of his figures, evoking both surveillance and erasure. Drawing from a visual vocabulary rooted in Chicano cultural histories, revolutionary posters, sign painting, and graffiti, Ramirez creates layered compositions that are grounded in lived experience.
In contrast, Villalba turns inward. His paintings explore the psychological weight of existing within this climate, focusing on intimate portraits that capture moments of quiet tension and emotion. Figures appear alone or absorbed in everyday activities, rendered in thick, expressive paint. These works suggest a form of internal redaction, where individuals suppress or compartmentalize their responses in order to continue moving through daily life. Villalba’s compositions balance vulnerability with composure, reflecting the dissonance between private emotion and public normalcy.
Together, the works in Redacted trace a spectrum between external protest and internal processing. The exhibition asks what it means to witness, absorb, and respond to a world in crisis, and how both visibility and concealment operate as strategies for survival.
EMILIO VILLALBA
Self Portrait, 2026
Acrylic on paper, maple frame
20 x 16 in(25.25 x 21.25 in framed)
SOLD
EMILIO VILLALBA
Painter in Studio, 2026
Acrylic on paper, maple frame
24 x 18 in(29.25 x 23.25in framed)
SOLD
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Boot Polish, 2026
Acrylic on canvas
48 x 60 in
EMILIO VILLALBA
Two Figs, 2026
Acrylic on paper, maple frame
39.5 x 51.5 in (44.75 x 56.75 in framed)
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Toma Coca Cola, 2026
Mixed media on wood
9 x 26 x 3 in
SOLD
EMILIO VILLALBA
The Shower 2026
Acrylic on paper, maple frame
20 x 16 in(25.25 x 21.25 in framed)
SOLD
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Three Letter Word, 2026
Mixed media
29.5 x 23.5 x 3.5 in
SOLD
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Justin Pearson Redacted,
Coca cola molitov, 2026
Mixed media on glass bottle
12 x 2.5 x 2.5 in
CARLOS RAMIREZ
All you had to do was pay us enough to live, Coca cola molitov, 2026
Mixed media on glass bottle
12 x 2.5 x 2.5 in
SOLD
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Immigrant Redacted #5, Cerveza victoria molitov, 2026
Mixed media on glass bottle
10.5 x 3 x 3 in
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Immigrant Redacted #6, Jarritos molitov, 2026
Mixed media on glass bottle
10 x 2.5 x 2.5 in
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Immigrant Redacted #8, Cerveza victoria molitov, 2026
Mixed media on glass bottle
10.5 x 3 x 3 in
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Tarantulas Azules #2, Jarritos molitov, 2026
Mixed media on glass bottle
10 x 2.5 x 2.5 in
EMILIO VILLALBA
The Office 2, 2026
Acrylic on paper, maple frame
60 x 51.5 in(65.25 x 56.25 in framed)
CARLOS RAMIREZ
El Paraiso, 2026
Mixed media on wood
16 x 48 x 3 in
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Where Is The Power Source, 2026
Mixed media on panel
26 x 21 x 2.75 in
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Santuario de la Soñadora (Shrine of the Dreamer), 2026
Mixed media assemblage
26 x 13.5 x 3
SOLD
EMILIO VILLALBA
Self Portrait 2, 2026
Acrylic on paper, maple frame
39 x 21.5 in(44.5 x 26.75 in framed)
SOLD
CARLOS RAMIREZ
Espantos, 2026
Mixed media on wood
10.5 x 23 x 3 in
SOLD