Ricardo Partida’s Heroes Unwind Heteronormative Power

In his new solo show, “Death of a Hero, Rise of a Champion,” which opened last week at Deli Gallery in East Williamsburg, Ricardo Partida unleashes what he calls his “f–g fatale” onto the trope of the straight male athlete—another step in his journey toward unwinding heteronormative power structures and ultimately, he says, “bringing the world to its knees.”

The figures Partida depicts in his compositions are “avatars” derived from his own experiences as well as cultural reference points like Only Fans, social media, and video games. The figures use sexuality—what Partida describes as “surrogacies of seduction”—to question traditional ideas about gender, bodies, and queerness.