José Lerma Spain, b. 1971

This work is part of a series of works by José Lerma depicting the heartwarming, everyday gesture of a hand presenting a bouquet of flowers. The image is constructed out of silicone on polypropylene, two of the most commonly traded chemical industrial products on the planet. Lerma's ongoing interest in industrial products used for construction relates, in part, to the contemporary phenomenon of Latino construction workers being used for cheap labor and the complex political tangle surrounding its place in the American political and economic landscape. Lerma’s practice is formally rooted in an investigation of painting in the expanded field. His exhibitions often include elaborate installations that incorporate such everyday items as office materials, musical instruments, and home furnishings. Lerma portrays his subjects in ways that elevate the mundane and trivialize the grand, crafting a visual world that is both celebratory and absurd. Simultaneously rooted in classical European painting and low-brow pop art, his works express the tragic comedy of global postcolonialism in eye-popping and instantly relatable ways. In the tension between the heroic and the pathetic, Lerma creates a space to examine the vast network of sociological, political, and economic forces that have shaped, and continue to shape, contemporary culture. Sometimes, as with this series, his subject matter is rooted in the everyday. His subjects have also included international figures, such as American politician John Kerry, economist Milton Friedman, and King Charles II of Spain; pop culture icons, such as Julio Iglesias; everyday bureaucrats, bankers, and administrators; personal relations, such as his mother and father; and iconic religious scenes, such as the Last Supper.