Between Madness and Art

To live art and live from it, means to carry it deep inside the brain, or more precisely, inside the mind. It’s an endless train ride, lost within the labyrinth of the unconscious tunnels. Not always, but as far as I can see, art walks on the fragile border between what we call reality and madness.

I won’t make comparisons or point to my own experience, but I’d like to mention one of my favorite Mexican artists: Martín Ramírez.His life perfectly expresses what I’ve said for years: art is not something you choose; it chooses you.When that cosmic event occurs, you no longer belong to yourself; you exist only to sail across the vast oceans of creation.

Martín Ramírez, Untitled (Train and Tunnels), 1954

Most of the time, those waters are tempestuous and deep, and sometimes, they swallow you whole into the abyss below. If you’re lucky enough, you resurface, only to keep building your ship and create again. But when art truly embraces you in its depths, you inevitably scratch the surface of madness. This isn’t an allegory; it’s a medical fact.

Martín Ramírez’s artwork reveals his delightful schizophrenic train journey, his endless lines and rhythmic patterns construct landscapes where his imagination travels freely, taking the viewer aboard for an unsuspected voyage into the fantastic.

Between Madness and Art