Kareem Ralph Amin

The first annual “Citybeat Covers Art” Exhibition is planned for February 22- March 1 at Alexander Salazar Fine Art.

By Annika Dawson

With San Diego in his heart, Guyana-born abstract artist Kareem Ralph Amin is taking on Los Angeles and the international art scene. A self-proclaimed people person, Amin’s works feature colorfully mastered and enigmatic mystical figures. Self-taught, with works recently featured at JETT Gallery here in San Diego and Open Art Code in France and London, Amin’s star is certainly on the rise. Currently working on a new series titled Transfiguration Room, the 34-year-old’s abounding talents and fervor are spicing up the art world.

944: You’ve recently moved from San Diego to Los Angeles. How do you think the move has affected your recent work?

KAREEM RALPH AMIN: Los Angeles is an amazing place for any prolific artist. I’ve been here since last June. My studio is spacious, with a 22-foot ceiling that I absolutely love. It’s constantly self- provoking that “new painter” discipline. The new energy in my building is all work — serious work.

944: How would you describe the San Diego art scene? What about the Los Angeles art scene?

KRA: The art scene in Los Angeles is all around you and is very visible with public sculptures in the city outside the businesses and outside the institutions. Also, the graffiti expression formulates itself as visual art that makes you say, ‘Wow!’ Not to mention the urban art — it is alive here. I think San Diego is still underground. The voice is being heard, but I think that voice has not resonated fully.

944: What is your favorite place in San Diego and favorite place showcasing art that inspires you?

KRA: My favorite place to be in San Diego is the beach in La Jolla. I like the salt air; it is very refreshing. I also enjoy the La Jolla Contemporary Art Museum.

944: What upcoming events do you have planned?

KRA: The LA Art Show Janurary 19 to 23, a solo exhibition at the Garboushian Gallery in Los Angeles in 2011 and the World Art Vision Fair that I was selected to participate in, in Barcelona, Spain from May 19 to June 5.

944: You’ve said that you would like viewers to interpret the figurative images in your work as their own. What do you see in these images and what are the influences behind them? Do you have any personal favorites?

KRA: These figures are created [so that it’s] simple to understand them visually. I think it is like drawing the face or anatomy, but removing the details. It becomes simpler to have its own subject, being abstract. The influence of these works came from the identity of people I grew up with in the Caribbean. I see life, gestures and voices when I paint these figures. My favorite work is “Harmony.”

944: You have been a full-time artist since 2003. In that time what do you think the biggest changes in your work have been ?

KRA: Significantly, my work has changed from primitive to modern … I knew what I wanted, but it took the passing of my grandmother to fuel me into the painter I am now.