Paul Ramírez Jonas: Alternative Facts

Paul Ramírez Jonas: Alternative Facts

Alternative Facts is an interactive public performance by Paul Ramírez Jonas that explores the concept that truth is a social contract. Over the course of two days in two different parts of the city, the artist engages individual members of the public in a series of actions that call into question commonly understood ideas about facts, authority, exchange, value, and trust.

Ramírez Jonas sets up notary stations in public locations. For several hours each day, he invites passersby to participate in a simple exchange in which they sit at the table and make an untruthful statement. Through a brief but elaborate process, the artist will notarize each statement as a testament to its truthfulness. The participants are then asked to pay for the service with a gold coin, which is made by the artist electroplating their spare change in a gold solution. The exchange results in two drawings: one for the participant to keep and another to be displayed near the notary station.

Paul Ramírez Jonas: Alternative Facts is organized by MOAD and curated by Rina Carvajal, Executive Director and Chief Curator, as part of the series A City of the People. It is made possible by the generous support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.