Ron Ewert
I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever
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The psychologist asked Edward whether he had any special powers or abilities that other people do not have. He responded by saying that he didn’t know because he didn’t date women. Puzzled by this response, the psychologist asked him to explain what he meant. Edward responded by asking his own question, “If you had a star in the middle of your head, would you swallow marbles?”

Q: Have you been nervous or tense lately?
A: No, I got a head of lettuce.

Q: You got a head of lettuce? I don’t understand.
A: Well, it’s just a head of lettuce.

Q: Tell me about lettuce. What do you mean?
A: Well…lettuce is a transformation of a dead cougar that suffered a relapse on the lion’s toe. And he swallowed the lion and something happened. The…see, the…Gloria and Tommy, they’re two heads and they’re not whales. But they escaped with herds of vomit, and things like that.

Q: Why are your arms itchy?
A: The problem is insects…my brother used to collect insects. He is a man 5ft 10 inches…you know, 10 is my favorite number. I also like to dance, draw, and watch tv.”

Q: How are you feeling otherwise?
A: “Well, hell, it’s well to tell.”

Q: How does it feel to have your problems?
A: Who can tell me the name of my song? I don’t know but it won’t be long. It won’t be short, tall, none at all. My head hurts, my knees hurt, my nephew, his uncle, my aunt. My God, I’m happy…not a care in the world. My hair’s been curled, the flag’s unfurled, this is my country, land that I love.”
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Ron Ewert lives and works in Chicago, IL, where he received his MFA from the Painting and Drawing Department of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been shown in a number of solo, two-person and group exhibitions nationally and internationally, including the New York Art Book Fair; Johannes Vogt, and Launch F18 in New York; 356 Mission, and LA Art Book Fair Los Angeles; Good Weather Gallery, Little Rock, The Green Gallery and American Fantasy Classics, Milwaukee; Circuit 12 Contemporary, Dallas; and the Freies Museum, Berlin. He has also exhibited widely in Chicago; recently, Ewert’s work was included in A Study in Midwestern Appropriation, a group exhibition at the Hyde Park Art Center curated by Michelle Grabner, as well as Power Objects at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art in Grand Rapids. He was a founder and Co-Director of The Hills Esthetic Center, an exhibition space in Chicago dedicated to emerging local and international artists. In July of 2015 an electrical fire destroyed the warehouse that was Ewert’s home, studio and gallery space for nearly 10 years. Lost in the fire was an expansive archive of Ron’s work and collections, as well as the work of many other artists who had shown in the gallery and had studios in the building. This will be Ewert’s first solo exhibition after the fire.http://ronewert.com/
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