Born in Mexico City, artist Christian Ruiz Berman has lived in 11 U.S. states and four countries. Spanning various mediums, including painting, poetry, film, and sculpture, Berman’s practice revolves around “ideas of tentacularity, migration, adaptation, archeology, and finding joy and magic in complex times.” His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in both solo and group exhibitions, with three solo shows scheduled for 2022.

Berman currently has four paintings on view at The Pit LA, from a series called “necking.” Like a lot of his work, this project is a study in hybridity, remix, entanglement, and the consideration of nature’s interconnectedness and interdependence. “The paintings combine erotic accoutrements with long necked water birds, and they draw inspiration from, among other sources, Japanese Shunga works, Mexican aesthetics, latin American art deco, and 19th century wildlife illustration,” he explains. “The works are meant to convey the push and pull tensions and entanglements of sensuality, relationship, and life in general.”

See more from Christian Ruiz Berman below!