The Land of Illustrious Men – Work by Daniel Ramos

Filter Photo is pleased to present The Land of Illustrious Men, a solo exhibition featuring the work of Daniel Ramos, curated by Paul D’Amato.

“The Land Of Illustrious Men is a story about my family, which began with the migration of my parents to the United States of America. My father entered the US illegally to pursue the American dream, whereas my mother was forced to immigrate to the US by my grandmother in order to live a better life. My parents met at an English language class in Chicago. They never learned the language, but they fell in love, and built a life together. Throughout my entire life in the United States we lived in Pilsen, a Mexican American neighborhood. All the storefronts were in Spanish, everyone spoke Spanish, and everyone lived a working-class life. During the summers, my parents would send me to Mexico to avoid the gang violence in my neighborhood. I spent every summer in Mexico until I was 22 years old.

When my mother passed away in 2012 and my father remarried two months later, I wanted to be as far away from him as possible in order to mourn the loss of my mother. My wife, who was pregnant at the time, and I decided to temporarily relocate to my family home in Monterrey, Mexico. During that time, I photographed the people and places that have shaped the person that I am now. This series illustrates my journeys between the US and Mexico and is a reflection of my life between these two worlds. The project The Land Of Illustrious Men is the story of many people who have decided to migrate to a different country for a better life. In my case, however, although I am the son of parents who have done this, I returned to the county they left, not for economic reasons, but to find peace.”
–Daniel Ramos

Daniel Ramos graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in Photography in 2003 and studied for an MFA at California College of the Arts in 2007. Daniel was awarded the Jack Jaffe Documentary Scholarship in 2000 and received a Graduate Merit Scholarship from California College of the Arts in 2006. His photographs from the Sloan Valve series are in the permanent collection of Leo Burnett Worldwide, and have been published in the Center for Documentary Studies’ 25 under 25: Up-And-Coming American Photographers. Most recently, he was awarded second place for the national “El Tiempo” award by CuartoOscuro magazine in Mexico and received a partial grant to participate in the Hydra + Fotografía Book Workshop in Mexico City. Daniel’s work has been selected for the Photography Now 2018 exhibition in Woodstock, New York, and he will be attending the Artist-In-Residence Program at CPW Woodstock in the fall of 2018. Daniel currently lives and works in Chicago, Illinois and Monterrey, Mexico.


This exhibition is partially sponsored by The Illinois Arts Council Agency and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.


Exhibition Dates: July 12 – August 10, 2019
Opening Reception: July 12, 6 – 9 pm
Artist Talk: July 12, 7:30 pm
Location: Filter Space | 1821 W. Hubbard St., Ste. 207
Gallery Hours: Monday – Saturday | 11 am – 5 pm