A CAT WAS HERE
A solo exhibition by Ren Ramirez
At the age of nine, Gato came into my life. When I was twenty-five, she exited it.
A CAT WAS HERE presents a narrative of the relentless love between my cat and I. Through uneaten cans of cat food, apparitions in oil, scratch marks and dead birds, I preserve the remnants of her previous presence.
A cat was here but now it's not.
Some remnants are tangible where others are not: memories of loved ones, the emotional reminders of their existences. What's left behind as scratches on a bed is evidence of a shared space but also highlights the empty spot on a twin bed which originally held two.
I contrast subdued hues of melancholy blue in drawings and paintings across the exhibition with bright-yellow ceramic birds, gifts left to show a cat’s own love, the violent nature of its loving. The absurdity of repetition mirrors the absurd devotion I feel towards my cat.
Stuck in between two worlds now, the whimsical world of cats and the painful, inevitable reality of love, all that is left is to seek the warmth of an absent body.
Despite her medium’s variability, Ramirez maintains a singular aesthetic focus and cohesion that translates into a lack of predictability and a capacity for renewal. This variety translates the multiple ways in which loss can take form, and celebrates the remnants of what made love possible.
About the Artist
Ren Ramirez (b. 1999) is a Mexican-American artist from Bakersfield. Ren holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Art from California State University of Bakersfield. She is currently based in Los Angeles and will receive her MFA From Otis College of Art and Design in May 2026.
To honor Gato, we ask you to bring donations for underprivileged cats, donations will be given to the spcaLa and Kern County Animal Services.
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A CAT WAS HERE installation shotRen Ramirez
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A CAT WAS HERE installation shotRen Ramirez |
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Detail shot of Our Hearts Stopped Beating at 1:30amRen Ramirezcooking oil, ink, chalk, cat litter |
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LeftoversRen RamirezCrayon, cat food |
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Detail shot of A Cat From FarawayRen Ramirez |
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A Cat From FarawayRen RamirezPaper, gesso, crayons |
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Detail shot of Cat boxesRen Ramirez |
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Detail shot of The Foot of Our BedRen Ramirez |
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A CAT WAS HERE bookletRen Ramirez |
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A CAT WAS HERE title wallRen Ramirez |