Today we’d like to introduce you to Ricky Amadour.
Ricky, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
To start off, my name is Ricky Amadour and I am an interdisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles and New York City. My work spans performance, painting, sculpture, music, fashion design, and video. Last year I graduated from the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture with degrees in fine art and art history, where I studied with professors Barbara Kruger, Lari Pittman, and Mary Kelly.
UCLA embellished my life and transformed me. I met my best friend in the whole world, Tokyo-based artist Michael Rikio Ming Hee Ho, studied abroad in Paris with professor Meredith Cohen to research medieval art history for a summer on a full-ride scholarship, and designed a dress for the 59th Grammy Awards red carpet; my first taste of public success.
At UCLA, a memorable highlight was meeting architect Frank Gehry. He was invited to speak on a panel with Speaker Anthony Rendon, Judy Baca, and Peter Sellers. I was invited as a guest to the reception beforehand because I worked in the USAC Office of the President as a Director of Communications. Everyone wanted to interact with the political figures attending the event, so I pretty much had Mr. Gehry to talk for myself. Getting to pick his brain on the Grand Avenue and New York by Gehry architectural projects was the coolest fan girl moment.
A big influence on my career has been interior designer Michael S. Smith. I discovered his book “The Curated House” in the UCLA Arts Library and fell in love with his sense of style and the voice in his writing. During my third year, I was invited to an event for Vanity Fair editor James Reginato’s “Great Houses Modern Aristocrats” at Mr. Smith’s showroom on Melrose Avenue. We met and he has this fabulous sense of self, I should mention Martha Stewart was also there!
Shortly after graduation, I worked for David LaChapelle as an assistant in his studio in Hollywood. My first big project was assisting on the photoshoot for Travis Scott’s Astroworld album cover. I mainly documented David’s BTS footage, it was an incredible set and all the props were created in real life. I also assisted on a campaign for Kim Kardashian-West’s KKW Beauty, and Kenzo Paris’s “Kenzotopia” campaign.
Wrapping up last year, I performed with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer for the homecoming halftime show at the Santa Monica College Stadium featured on KCRW. It was a wonderful opportunity as part of the SMC Alumni Association. Shortly after, I ventured to Spain and Paris for a couple of months to build a new portfolio of work and working in Slovenia to create new music with DJ KLEEN.
This year has been life-affirming. In March I created a set of performances at Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central Hong Kong dressed in two looks: a lavish gold sequin cape with shoes by Esqape, and a Yves Klein Blue ruched unitard by Ana Estela Designs. In LA, I’ve been collaborating with art director Devi James, photographer Nailah Barcelona Houston, filmmaker Nina Koyfman, makeup artist Mr. Sarah, model Brinda Iyer, and filmmaker Albert Streitmann.
The bulk of my year was spent in Italy and France with events at Milan Fashion Week, FIAC, and the Venice Biennale. Currently, I am preparing for a Paris Fashion Week performance piece with Paris-based brand Les Inconnus.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Life to me is a journey, and whenever I imagine this idea visually, David Hockney’s “Mulholland Drive: The Road to the Studio” comes to mind. Every moment is so rich in color and my belief is when something doesn’t work out it’s because something even more exciting waits ahead. My yoga teacher Bryan Kest at Santa Monica Power Yoga also says during the “airplane pose” to imagine you’re “flying over Santa Monica,” at this point, most people begin to get the shakies. Bryan says that “in life you experience turbulence, but you need to learn to remain calm and relax in order to think clearly.” Similarly at Pilates Platinum in Brentwood (where I love to work out when I’m home), my favorite trainer Lindsay Whitely Rose embraces the shakies as part of the body’s process of building endurance and getting stronger.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am currently working on a series of headdresses and performances as an exploration of identifiers between liminal spaces. My family comes from a department in Colombia called Boyaca, famous for its emeralds in the Muzo Mines and the discovery of the golden Muisca Raft, presently in the Museo del Oro in Bogota. Our personal history stems from a line of Spanish conquistadors from which my ancestor Juan José Reyes Patria Escobar stems from, who was a general in Símon Bolívar’s military. We also have Muisca blood, which is the people’s group famous for the tale of El Dorado. My family history is a story of religion, war, the pursuit of gold, and cultural liberation embedded into a penultimate gray space.
Conquistadors, liberators, natives, and religious people all wore distinctive headpieces to create a visual form of identification. My works are made to create my own identification as a gay, nonbinary, Catholic, person of color born into a history that stands at the threshold of society, gender, and a dichotomic identity.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My Mom is the absolute secret to my success. She is the most incredible person in my world. This year we travelled to the Amalfi Coast in Italy together. We spent the most amazing moments hiking from Amalfi to the Villa Cimbrone in Ravello, and also visiting Villa d’Este in Tivoli and the Villa Lysis in Capri. We go villa hopping… She is unconditionally there for me as an emotional support and I feel so grateful for our bond.
Another secret is the incredible collective of people at St. Monica’s Catholic Community. Monsignor Lloyd Torgensen is a remarkable human being and leader. An amazing event that takes place annually is the clothing boutique and free Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless population in our community. This year I volunteered as a “personal shopper” and assisted guests at the boutique in choosing clothes and styling them. It not only provides much-needed items to our guests but also fosters humanity and social interaction. The Gay and Lesbian (GLO) organization and Young Ministering Adults (YMA) at St. Monica’s have also blessed me with an incredible group of close friends and family.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amadour.com
- Instagram: @saintamadour
Image Credit:
Ricky Amadour, Nailah Barcelona Houston, Albert Strietmann
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