RIC CONN: CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO THROUGH ART

By Viviana Puello

Ric Conn is an artist who challenges the status quo through his art, exploring topics such as gender equality and women’s empowerment. He seeks to bring awareness to women’s struggles and celebrates their strength and resilience in overcoming these challenges. With every painting, Ric Conn inspires viewers to think more deeply about the injustices women have endured and the progress that still needs to be made.

Through oil, acrylic, and mixed media paintings, Ric Conn creates expressionistic and figurative pieces that speak to the unique experience of women in today’s society and serve as a reminder of issues often overlooked in the art world, such as systemic gender inequality and lack of representation for women, dedicated to using his art as a platform for social change and to create a better future for all.

Ric Conn uses vibrant colors to emphasize his message. He creates masterful compositions to bring attention to the issues of female oppression that he wants to highlight. His paintings’ bright and vivid hues speak to viewers and engage them. He captures the emotions of his subjects and conveys them through a combination of intense colors. By expressing these feelings through art, he hopes to create a more inclusive world and empower women everywhere.

Conn’s art provides a platform for women’s voices to be heard and inspires them to have the courage and strength to fight for their rights and stand up for themselves. By exploring artivist themes in his work, Conn is helping to create a more balanced society where all genders are respected and valued equally. Additionally, by utilizing social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, Conn spreads his art and message across multiple channels, increasing its global visibility. As an art activist, he makes sure to use his artwork as a tool to continue fighting against oppression and injustice of any kind.

Ric Conn’s work is a testament to his commitment and determination to the cause. One example is his painting, “Unstoppable,” which depicts a woman in a red dress standing tall, symbolizing her strength and determination. Another example is “Multitasker,” which shows a woman and repeated figures of the same woman to express her juggling several roles and tasks, highlighting that women often have to do more than their male counterparts. Finally, Conn’s painting “She is Inferior To No-one” is a powerful reminder that women are not inferior to men. These pieces are potent reminders of the importance of female empowerment and gender equality in our society.

From themes of pain, anger, and trauma to stories of resilience, triumph, and joy, Ric Conn’s art challenges traditional definitions of female identity. He also explores themes of motherhood, fertility, and sisterhood. For example, in ‘Sisters,’ two women are shown standing side by side, with arms outstretched towards one another, in a gesture of support. Ric’s artwork encourages viewers to reflect on the strength and resilience of women who have endured difficult circumstances together and emerge with an unbreakable bond.

Overall, Ric Conn’s artwork is an exploration of female empowerment. Through his paintings, he presents a bold and fearless vision of women that challenges the status quo and celebrates the power of the feminine spirit.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK FOR US?

“My style is based on 20th-century German Expressionism. My work is concerned with psychology, not reality.”

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

“Sometimes I start with a concept, but most of the time, I don’t, I start drawing on the canvas in charcoal or occasionally right in with paint, and I build the concept as I go. itis more freeing doing this way.”

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER YOU WANTED TO BE AN ARTIST?

“When I was five years old when I started freehand drawing.”

WHAT MESSAGE DOES YOUR WORK TRANSMIT TO YOUR AUDIENCE?

“My message is Gender Equality/Women’s Empowerment. Every painting concern situation woman must unfortunately navigate.”

HAS ANY PART OF YOUR STORY INFLUENCED WHAT YOU DO NOW?

“All of it.”

AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS AND

PUBLICATIONS

• Inducted into Who’s Who in America

• Man of the Year

• Humanitarian of the year

• ATIM Top 60 Master of Contemporary Art for 2020, 2022,2023

• ATIM Artist of the Decade 2010 - 2020

• ATIM Artivist of the year 2019

• ATIM Artivist of the year 2020

• Emerald Artivist of the Year 2022

• Artist of the Future

• Collector’s Vision International Art Award

• Power of Creativity Art Prize

• Award of Artistic Excellence

• Leonardo Da Vinci International Art Prize

• Caravaggio International Art Prize

• Donatello International Art Prize

• Top 100 Business Men

My work is concerned not with objective reality but rather the emotions that objects and events arouse within a person, reactions—positive or negative— especially the understanding of the self within the viewer. I deal with relevant social issues, equality, empowerment, and psychological conditions. Distortion, exaggeration, and fantasy are the filters through which I paint the modern world.