Artist Bony Ramirez’s work MACHETAZO! is acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s permanent collection, and it is currently on display in the exhibition Tender Loving Care: Contemporary Art from the Collection.
In this portrait, an imaginary Dominican woman has been depicted. She stands strong, confident, and unclothed even as a series of machetes penetrate the painted surface around her. The mask on the ground is of Lechón, the animal-like character who represents the artist’s rural province at the annual carnival in the Dominican Republic. This embellished, three-dimensional painting is both literally and figuratively vibrant, awakening sensory responses in us as viewers.