Kit Kat Club Exhibition Origin Story

Kit Kat Club: An Art Form Reimagined

A Collaborative Exhibition by Ramon Shiloh and Scott Erwert

Opening Summer 2026 / Hosted by Rhythms PDX / Portland, Oregon

Dates to Be Announced

Curatorial & Artist Statement:
Ramon Shiloh

 

This exhibition comes out of a long interest in how power, perception, and shared cultural experiences shape the way we see each other and the world around us. A key point of origin for me was the 2016 election and the conversations that followed around public remarks, power, and the way women were being spoken about and treated in the public sphere. That moment stayed with me, not only as a political event, but as a reminder of how language, behavior, and accountability are deeply connected to culture.

From there, this project became less about a single event and more about how public narratives are created, how images and language influence one another, and how art can hold difficult conversations without needing to resolve them. I've become increasingly interested in how artists, writers, and communities respond to these moments by turning experience into dialogue, reflection, and action.

At the center of this exhibition is performance culture; its environments, visibility, labor, contradictions, and influence. I am drawn to spaces where identity is both expressed and constructed at the same time, where freedom and perception overlap, and where meaning changes, depending on who is looking.

Humor is also an important part of my work. Not as a distraction, but as a tool. Humor can create relief, expose contradictions, and open doors into conversations people might otherwise avoid. Sometimes it allows us to look at difficult subjects more honestly.

My collaboration with Scott Erwert brings together two multidisciplinary artists with different perspectives but a shared interest in examining the culture we live in. My work uses surrealism, humor, color, and detail to explore subjects that are often controversial, misunderstood, or overlooked. Scott's work focuses on the atmosphere of performance spaces, capturing light, movement, energy, and the environments where people gather, perform, and express themselves.

 

Kit Kat Club: An Art Form Reimagined is more than a single exhibition. It is the first chapter in a larger series of collaborative exhibitions that Scott and I are developing around subjects that many people encounter every day but rarely stop, to discuss in a meaningful way.

We are starting with strip culture and the cultural significance of Portland's Kit Kat Club. From there, the series will continue with the Assassination FOREVER Stamp Series, Hypocrisy, Stereotype, and Racial Profile exhibitions. Each project will confront issues that continue to shape American life, whether people are comfortable talking about them or not.

The purpose of these exhibitions is simple: bring difficult conversations into public view. We are interested in examining the systems, beliefs, contradictions, and social pressures that influence how people see one another, how power operates, and how public opinion is formed. These exhibitions are not about telling people what to think. They are about encouraging people to slow down, look closer, ask questions, and engage with subjects that are often reduced to headlines, political talking points, or social media arguments.

Some viewers will agree with what they see. Others will disagree. Both responses are welcome. What matters is that the conversation happens.

Ultimately, this series is about confronting the realities, hypocrisies, stereotypes, and cultural forces that continue to influence our freedoms, identities, and relationships with one another. Art has always had the power to challenge assumptions, expose contradictions, and spark dialogue. Kit Kat Club: An Art Form Reimagined is where that conversation begins.

Images Details: sneak peak of new work
title: Superheroes
medium: acrylic on canvas
size: 30 x 15
by: Scott Erwert

Blink Of An Eye Thoughts

My work comes from noticing people and how we move through the world together, or sometimes alongside each other. Friendships have always fascinated me, even though I tend to keep a small circle and many loose connections through my life in the arts. Early loss shaped how I relate to closeness and taught me to value honesty, boundaries, and saying things plainly.

I am still very much a kid at heart, drawn to people who are open, generous, and curious, without agendas that divide. Living a full time life focused on art and food gives me space to breathe, stay grounded, and feel less alone while working on what matters. My practice reflects that rhythm of growth, presence, and showing up as yourself.

When I think about the time I have left on Earth, I hope to be remembered as someone who contributed to my communities, helping native youth trust their instincts and become good stewards in their own lives. In the cosmos, time is irrelevant, and here on Earth it passes in the blink of an eye. I try to get as much done as possible and take care along the way.

🌎

Cookbook Thoughts

 Happy New Year Instagram Peeps! It’s been awhile. Been off the grid working on something meaningful and the reason…

I want to share something I have been quietly developing for some time now.
I am working on my cookbook, and it is not a traditional one. My cookbook is rooted in storytelling, truth in history, and the belief that food carries more than flavor. It carries memory, responsibility, and the stories we often do not make space for.

The idea for my cookbook grew out of my desire to create a culinary residency for Native youth. I kept imagining a kitchen where young people could explore who they are, where they come from, and what kind of future they want to build through food. While that residency is still a vision in progress, it shaped everything about this book.

My cookbook is organized into three chapters, each one holding ten dishes.

The first chapter, “Human Conflict”, looks directly at the realities of our past and present. These dishes speak to American Indian Wars, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, environmental destruction, white supremacy, and the erasure of Indigenous lives and histories. This part of the book is not meant to be comfortable. It is meant to be honest.

The second chapter, “Human Rights and Reconciliation”, moves toward healing and shared responsibility. These dishes explore what it means to exchange knowledge, respect boundaries, and practice restoration with one another and with the land.

The final chapter, “A Childrens Guide For a Better Future”, ends the book on a hopeful note. These dishes are playful, lighter in spirit, and rooted in imagination. They are meant to honor children and youth as carriers of what comes next, and to remind us why remembering history matters so we do not repeat harm.

My cookbook is about food, but it is also about listening. It is about slowing down and paying attention to what we carry and what we pass on. Every dish is meant to offer depth of flavor and truth on a plate.
I am sharing this now because this project matters deeply to me. It is still unfolding, and I am grateful to bring people into the process as it grows.

Food is how I tell stories. This is one of them.