Lyr-ic : expressing direct, usually intense personal emotion, especially in a manner suggestive of song

The work of Ric Kokotovich is both lyrical and performative. Perhaps it’s the years he spent as a professional musician, or the decade he dedicated to filmmaking. As a drummer, music remains a part of his life, and in Kokotovich’s studio in Merida, Mexico, that deep personal connection to music is finding new expression through painting and sculpture.

Kokotovich began his career as a documentary photographer, mounting his first solo show in 1984. Over the next decade, he received enthusiastic reviews for his exhibitions in Calgary, Prague and San Francisco. Kokotovich then turned his creative focus to filmmaking. The short film Claire was nominated for a Canadian Genie Award, and Beauty Crowds Me screened at many prestigious festivals around the world. Beauty Crowds Me was also part of an exhibition of Bravo films that showed at MOMA in New York. Kokotovich’s dramatic directorial debut, Bitter My Tongue, was given the Audience Choice Award at the 2001 New York Independent Film & Video Festival. In 2005, inspired by the creative potential of digital media, Kokotovich renewed his focus on still imagery, resulting in several Collections of work that were exhibited in Canada and Mexico.

Now living and working exclusively in Mérida, Mexico, his compositions capture the exuberant spirit of a culture rich in storytelling. The pandemic that isolated the world in 2020, was an impetus for Kokotovich to physically touch and manipulate what he was creating. That, and a lifelong fascination with sculpture and dimension have moved Kokotovich away from the computer and into the painting studio, where he is finding a new voice as an artist.