abraham cruzvillegas - Artists - Kurimanzutto (original) (raw)
abraham cruzvillegas
1968, Mexico City
Abraham Cruzvillegas's artistic process is deeply influenced by his surroundings. Rather than being defined by a particular medium, many of his projects are linked by the idea of autoconstrucción: a concept that draws from the ingenious, precarious and collaborative building tactics implemented by the people living in Colonia Ajusco, his childhood neighborhood in Mexico City. Cruzvillegas takes an approach based on inventive improvisation and instability, which presents change as a permanent state, arising from the chaotic and fragmentary nature of life. The evolving notion of autoconstrucción has in turn yielded explorations into similar concepts, such as autodestrucción and autoconfusión. These inquiries have led the artist not only to explore his own origins, but to collaborate with family and friends in a very personal form of research, resulting in a constant process of learning: about materials, landscape, people and himself.
Through his work in various media, including sculpture, painting, drawing, installation and video, Cruzvillegas reveals a close and constant engagement with the material world—immersing himself in the ongoing construction and transformation of personal and collective identities. His sculptures challenge prevailing conceptions of art making by using a wide range of collected objects, while his paintings and drawings are marked by a keen depiction of subjects with a strong sense of humor, instilled by his early training as a political cartoonist. Parallel to his artistic production, Cruzvillegas has cultivated writing as an investigative tool of self-analysis that merges history, criticism and fiction. His lyrics and texts about art, politics and culture have become a significant element of his practice.
Cruzvillegas studied Pedagogy from 1986 to 1990 at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City, while simultaneously attending Gabriel Orozco’s workshop Taller de los viernes, together with Damián Ortega, Gabriel Kuri and Dr. Lakra. In 2012, he was the 5th winner of the Yanghyun Prize, and received the Prix Altadis d'arts plastiques in 2006.
Lives and works in Mexico City.
autorretrato ciego brindando con vino espumoso natural biodinámico al tiempo de recordar cómo hacer que cruja de una mordida una enchiladita potosina, en la única cantina de ahualulco donde sirven mezcal ipiña, a punto de llorar, escuchando a las hermanas pulido cantando ‘flor de canela’, tratando de terminar de leer ‘queer ancient ways’, de zairong xiang, un ser humano, 2019
gold acrylic paint on newspaper clippings, cardboard, photographs, drawings, postcards, envelopes, tickets, vouchers, letters, posters, flyers, cards, recipes, napkins and steel pins on wall
installed: 95.67 x 281.89 x .79 in.
variable dimensions (installation of 319 pieces)
blind self portrait listening to the tunes of 'la josefinita' while I remember sergio gonzález rodríguez telling me to fear nothing but my own tears, crying about what you have no more and can't get back, after eating some dry calamari roasted over a nice clay grill in a fancy restaurant, sipping little glasses of cold rice wine, pretending to write again all i'm kind of memorizing before typing down, but instead reading and reading again about a building some architects want to demolish, 2017
blue acrylic paint on newspaper clippings, cardboard, photographs, drawings, postcards, envelopes, tickets, vouchers, letters, posters, flyers, cards, recipes, napkins and steel pins on wall
variable dimensions (installation of 762 pieces)
200.79 x 460.63 in. aprox. installed
moisture proof sticky cheeky blind self portrait with wiki leaky treats for all skeptical immigrant dark skinned illegal aliens about alternative facts and walls, after reading again and again 'libellus de medicinalibus indorum herbis' while listening to 'It's impossible', a cover of the cheesy but beautiful 'somos novios', while chewing cheapie cheetos at the convenience store just opened by a friend in a totally unsuspected place a week ago, 2017
terracotta acrylic paint on newspaper clippings, cardboard, photographs, drawings, postcards, envelopes, tickets, vouchers, letters, posters, flyers, cards, recipes, napkins and steel pins on wall
variable dimensions (installation of 523 pieces)
autoreconstrucción: to insist, to insist, to insist, a project by abraham cruzvillegas & bárbara foulkes, 2018
documentation of performance at the kitchen, new york, 2018
performers: bárbara foulkes and andrés garcía nestitla (not pictured)
autoreconstrucción: to insist, to insist, to insist, a project by abraham cruzvillegas & bárbara foulkes, 2018
documentation of performance at the kitchen, new york, 2018
performers: bárbara foulkes and andrés garcía nestitla (not pictured)
Abraham Cruzvillegas - Autoreconstrucción: To Insist, to Insist, to Insist, 2018 from kurimanzutto on Vimeo.
autoreconstrucción: to insist, to insist, to insist, a project by abraham cruzvillegas & bárbara foulkes, 2018
documentation of performance at the kitchen, new york, 2018
performers: bárbara foulkes and andrés garcía nestitla (not pictured)
documentation of performance by la bruja de texcoco, in the context of autorreconstrucción: detritus, museo universitario de ciencias y arte - muca, mexico city, 2018
installation view of autorreconstrucción: detritus, museo universitario de ciencias y arte - muca, mexico city, 2018
installation view of autorreconstrucción: detritus, museo universitario de ciencias y arte - muca, mexico city, 2018
installation view of autorreconstrucción: social tissue, kunsthaus zurich, 2018
installation view of autorreconstrucción: social tissue, kunsthaus zurich, 2018
installation view of autorreconstrucción: social tissue, kunsthaus zurich, 2018
autodestrucción: avant et après le voyage d ́antonin artaud à la terre rouge, 2018
collage. ink on paper and tape
55.91 x 94.49 in.
the water trilogy 3, 2017
installation. geodesic dome structures (wooden sticks, hemp rope, tarred cardboard, screws and bottle caps); scale models, wooden tables, glass, plastic beer boxes, books, photographs
variable dimensions
intallation view of abraham cruzvillegas, sensory spaces, museum boijmans van beuningen, the netherlands, 2018
the water trilogy 3, 2017
installation. geodesic dome structures (wooden sticks, hemp rope, tarred cardboard, screws and bottle caps); scale models, wooden tables, glass, plastic beer boxes, books, photographs
variable dimensions
intallation view of abraham cruzvillegas, sensory spaces, museum boijmans van beuningen, the netherlands, 2018
installation view of the water trilogy 3: autoconclusion: ideologically inconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals, as part of sensory spaces 12,
museum boijmans van beuningen, rotterdam, the netherlands, 2017
installation view of the water trilogy 3: autoconclusion: ideologically inconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals, as part of sensory spaces 12,
museum boijmans van beuningen, rotterdam, the netherlands, 2017
installation view of t_he water trilogy 3: autoconclusion: ideologically inconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals_, as part of sensory spaces 12,
museum boijmans van beuningen, rotterdam, the netherlands, 2017
autodefensión microtonal obrera campesina estudiantil metabolista descalza, 2017
newspapers, wallpapers, japanese paper, magazines, disposable chopsticks, bamboos, hemp strings, morning glory, moonflower, soil, plastic pots
70.87 x 59.06 x 208.66 in. each
installation view of abraham cruzvillegas - the water trilogy 2, maison ginza hermès, tokyo, 2017
autodefensión microtonal obrera campesina estudiantil metabolista descalza, 2017
newspapers, wallpapers, japanese paper, magazines, disposable chopsticks, bamboos, hemp strings, morning glory, moonflower, soil, plastic pots
70.87 x 59.06 x 208.66 in. each
installation view of a_braham cruzvillegas - the water trilogy 2,_ maison ginza hermès, tokyo, 2017
autoconclusion: ideologically inconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals, a, 2017
acrylic paint on inkjet print on canvas, tools
47.64 x 74.02 in.
autoconclusion: ideologically iconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals, b, 2017
acrylic paint on inkjet print on canvas and tools
47.64 x 74.02 in.
autoconclusion: ideologically inconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals, c, 2017
acrylic paint on inkjet print on canvas and tools
121 x 188 x 20 cm
tequioh I, 2017
acrylic paint on inkjet print on canvas, tools
62.01 x 82.68 in.
tequioh III, 2017
acrylic paint on inkjet print on canvas, tools
82.68 x 62.01 in.
reconstruction: the five enemies I, 2018
acrylic, paint, wood, iron, plastic, cloth
variable dimensions
installation view of 21st biennale of sydney, australia, 2018
reconstruction: the five enemies II, 2018
acrylic, paint, wood, iron, plastic, cloth
variable dimensions
installation view of 21st biennale of sydney, australia, 2018
reconstruction: the five enemies II, 2018
acrylic, paint, wood, iron, plastic, cloth
variable dimensions
installation view of 21st biennale of sydney, australia, 2018
reconstruction: the five enemies II, 2018
acrylic, paint, wood, iron, plastic, cloth
variable dimensions
installation view of 21st biennale of sydney, australia, 2018
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
nuestra imagen actual, 1, 2011
acrylic paint on kraft paper
300 x 400 cm
nuestra imagen actual: helena, 2012
vinyl paint, ink on water, based acrylic enamel on kraft paper
118.11 x 157.48 in.
nuestra imagen actual: gabriel, 2015
indian ink on water, based acrylic, enamel paint on kraft paper
118.11 x 157.48 in.
nuestra imagen actual, XVIII, 2019
water based acrylic enamel paint on paper
paper size: 39.37 x 59.06 in.
autorretrato ciego brindando con vino espumoso natural biodinámico al tiempo de recordar cómo hacer que cruja de una mordida una enchiladita potosina, en la única cantina de ahualulco donde sirven mezcal ipiña, a punto de llorar, escuchando a las hermanas pulido cantando ‘flor de canela’, tratando de terminar de leer ‘queer ancient ways’, de zairong xiang, un ser humano, 2019
gold acrylic paint on newspaper clippings, cardboard, photographs, drawings, postcards, envelopes, tickets, vouchers, letters, posters, flyers, cards, recipes, napkins and steel pins on wall
installed: 95.67 x 281.89 x .79 in.
variable dimensions (installation of 319 pieces)
blind self portrait listening to the tunes of 'la josefinita' while I remember sergio gonzález rodríguez telling me to fear nothing but my own tears, crying about what you have no more and can't get back, after eating some dry calamari roasted over a nice clay grill in a fancy restaurant, sipping little glasses of cold rice wine, pretending to write again all i'm kind of memorizing before typing down, but instead reading and reading again about a building some architects want to demolish, 2017
blue acrylic paint on newspaper clippings, cardboard, photographs, drawings, postcards, envelopes, tickets, vouchers, letters, posters, flyers, cards, recipes, napkins and steel pins on wall
variable dimensions (installation of 762 pieces)
200.79 x 460.63 in. aprox. installed
moisture proof sticky cheeky blind self portrait with wiki leaky treats for all skeptical immigrant dark skinned illegal aliens about alternative facts and walls, after reading again and again 'libellus de medicinalibus indorum herbis' while listening to 'It's impossible', a cover of the cheesy but beautiful 'somos novios', while chewing cheapie cheetos at the convenience store just opened by a friend in a totally unsuspected place a week ago, 2017
terracotta acrylic paint on newspaper clippings, cardboard, photographs, drawings, postcards, envelopes, tickets, vouchers, letters, posters, flyers, cards, recipes, napkins and steel pins on wall
variable dimensions (installation of 523 pieces)
autoreconstrucción: to insist, to insist, to insist, a project by abraham cruzvillegas & bárbara foulkes, 2018
documentation of performance at the kitchen, new york, 2018
performers: bárbara foulkes and andrés garcía nestitla (not pictured)
autoreconstrucción: to insist, to insist, to insist, a project by abraham cruzvillegas & bárbara foulkes, 2018
documentation of performance at the kitchen, new york, 2018
performers: bárbara foulkes and andrés garcía nestitla (not pictured)
autoreconstrucción: to insist, to insist, to insist, a project by abraham cruzvillegas & bárbara foulkes, 2018
documentation of performance at the kitchen, new york, 2018
performers: bárbara foulkes and andrés garcía nestitla (not pictured)
documentation of performance by la bruja de texcoco, in the context of autorreconstrucción: detritus, museo universitario de ciencias y arte - muca, mexico city, 2018
installation view of autorreconstrucción: detritus, museo universitario de ciencias y arte - muca, mexico city, 2018
installation view of autorreconstrucción: detritus, museo universitario de ciencias y arte - muca, mexico city, 2018
installation view of autorreconstrucción: social tissue, kunsthaus zurich, 2018
installation view of autorreconstrucción: social tissue, kunsthaus zurich, 2018
installation view of autorreconstrucción: social tissue, kunsthaus zurich, 2018
autodestrucción: avant et après le voyage d ́antonin artaud à la terre rouge, 2018
collage. ink on paper and tape
55.91 x 94.49 in.
the water trilogy 3, 2017
installation. geodesic dome structures (wooden sticks, hemp rope, tarred cardboard, screws and bottle caps); scale models, wooden tables, glass, plastic beer boxes, books, photographs
variable dimensions
intallation view of abraham cruzvillegas, sensory spaces, museum boijmans van beuningen, the netherlands, 2018
the water trilogy 3, 2017
installation. geodesic dome structures (wooden sticks, hemp rope, tarred cardboard, screws and bottle caps); scale models, wooden tables, glass, plastic beer boxes, books, photographs
variable dimensions
intallation view of abraham cruzvillegas, sensory spaces, museum boijmans van beuningen, the netherlands, 2018
installation view of the water trilogy 3: autoconclusion: ideologically inconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals, as part of sensory spaces 12,
museum boijmans van beuningen, rotterdam, the netherlands, 2017
installation view of the water trilogy 3: autoconclusion: ideologically inconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals, as part of sensory spaces 12,
museum boijmans van beuningen, rotterdam, the netherlands, 2017
installation view of t_he water trilogy 3: autoconclusion: ideologically inconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals_, as part of sensory spaces 12,
museum boijmans van beuningen, rotterdam, the netherlands, 2017
autodefensión microtonal obrera campesina estudiantil metabolista descalza, 2017
newspapers, wallpapers, japanese paper, magazines, disposable chopsticks, bamboos, hemp strings, morning glory, moonflower, soil, plastic pots
70.87 x 59.06 x 208.66 in. each
installation view of abraham cruzvillegas - the water trilogy 2, maison ginza hermès, tokyo, 2017
autodefensión microtonal obrera campesina estudiantil metabolista descalza, 2017
newspapers, wallpapers, japanese paper, magazines, disposable chopsticks, bamboos, hemp strings, morning glory, moonflower, soil, plastic pots
70.87 x 59.06 x 208.66 in. each
installation view of a_braham cruzvillegas - the water trilogy 2,_ maison ginza hermès, tokyo, 2017
autoconclusion: ideologically inconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals, a, 2017
acrylic paint on inkjet print on canvas, tools
47.64 x 74.02 in.
autoconclusion: ideologically iconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals, b, 2017
acrylic paint on inkjet print on canvas and tools
47.64 x 74.02 in.
autoconclusion: ideologically inconsistent identity: jetties, gutters & urinals, c, 2017
acrylic paint on inkjet print on canvas and tools
121 x 188 x 20 cm
tequioh I, 2017
acrylic paint on inkjet print on canvas, tools
62.01 x 82.68 in.
tequioh III, 2017
acrylic paint on inkjet print on canvas, tools
82.68 x 62.01 in.
reconstruction: the five enemies I, 2018
acrylic, paint, wood, iron, plastic, cloth
variable dimensions
installation view of 21st biennale of sydney, australia, 2018
reconstruction: the five enemies II, 2018
acrylic, paint, wood, iron, plastic, cloth
variable dimensions
installation view of 21st biennale of sydney, australia, 2018
reconstruction: the five enemies II, 2018
acrylic, paint, wood, iron, plastic, cloth
variable dimensions
installation view of 21st biennale of sydney, australia, 2018
reconstruction: the five enemies II, 2018
acrylic, paint, wood, iron, plastic, cloth
variable dimensions
installation view of 21st biennale of sydney, australia, 2018
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
empty lot, 2015
mixed media
variable dimensions
installation view, hyundai commission turbine hall, tate modern, london, 2015
nuestra imagen actual, 1, 2011
acrylic paint on kraft paper
300 x 400 cm
nuestra imagen actual: helena, 2012
vinyl paint, ink on water, based acrylic enamel on kraft paper
118.11 x 157.48 in.
nuestra imagen actual: gabriel, 2015
indian ink on water, based acrylic, enamel paint on kraft paper
118.11 x 157.48 in.
nuestra imagen actual, XVIII, 2019
water based acrylic enamel paint on paper
paper size: 39.37 x 59.06 in.
Past solo exhibitions include: Little song, kurimanzutto, New York (2023); éclat, Les Tanneries – Centre d’art contemporain, Amilly, France (2022); Agua Dulce, The Bass Museum of Art, Miami, FL (2020); Hi, how are you, Gonzo?, The Contemporary Austin, TX; Aspen Art Museum, CO (2019); Autorreconstrucción: Social Tissue, Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland (2018); The Water Trilogy 3: Autoconclusion: Ideologically Inconsistent Identity: Jetties, Gutters & Urinals, as part of Sensory Spaces 12, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2017); The Water Trilogy 2: Autodefensión Microtonal Obrera Campesina Estudiantil Metabolista Descalza, Ginza Maison Hermès Le Forum, Tokyo (2017); Autoconstriction approximante vibrante rétroflexe, Carré d'Art - Musée d'art contemporain de Nîmes, France (2016); Empty Lot, Tate Modern, London (2015); Autodestrucción7: Deshaciendo el nudo, Museo de Arte de Lima, Peru (2015); Abraham Cruzvillegas: Autoconstrucción, Museo Jumex, Mexico City and Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico (2014); Abraham Cruzvillegas: The Autoconstrucción Suites, Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany (2014) and Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN (2013); Self Builders’ Groove. Final Project for DAAD Residency, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), Berlin (2011); Autoconstrucción: The Film, Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theatre (REDCAT), Los Angeles, CA (2009); The Magnificent Seven: Capp Street Project: Abraham Cruzvillegas, CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco, CA (2009); Autoconstrucción: The Soundtrack, CCA: Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, Scotland (2008), among others.
Additionally, his work has been included in various group exhibitions: En el jardín: Colección Isabel y Agustín Coppel, Marco, Monterrey, Mexico (2023); Colección Jumex: Todo se vuelve más ligero, Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2023); Las paradojas del internacionalismo (narradas por la colección del Tamayo) Parte 1, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City (2023); Before Tomorrow - Thirty Years of Astrup Fearnly Museet, Astrup Fearnly Museum of Modern Art in Oslo, Norway (2023); COMPORTA 2023, Fortes de Aloia, Portugal; TODOS JUNTOS (All Together), kurimanzutto, New York (2022); Futuros Abundantes, C3A Centro de Creación Contemporánea de Andalucía, Spain (2022); Excepciones Normales: Arte Contemporáneo en México, Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2021); The Aerodrome, Ikon, Birmingham, England (2019); Abuso de las formas, Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City (2019); Artaud 1936, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City (2018); Dwelling Poetically: Mexico City, a case study, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), Melbourne (2018); Precariat’s Meeting, Ming Contemporary Art Museum (McaM), Shanghai, China (2017); The Revolution Will Not Be Gray, Aspen Art Museum, CO (2016); Atopía. Migración, Legado y Ausencia de Lugar, Museo de Arte de Zapopan (MAZ), Mexico (2014); México Inside Out: Themes in Art Since 1990, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, TX (2013); The Right to the City, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (2013); It Is What It Is. Or Is It?, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, TX (2012); Blockbuster: Cinema for Exhibitions, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO), Mexico (2011); Tate Modern Collection Displays, Tate Modern, London (2011); Paréntesis, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Oaxaca (MACO), Mexico (2009); An Unruly History of the Readymade, Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2008); Unmonumental: The Object in the 21st Century, New Museum, New York, NY (2007), among others.
His work has been exhibited in various international biennials, including: Biennale d'Architecture d'Orléans, Frac Centre-Val de Loire, Orleans, France (2019); 21st Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2018); X Bienal de Nicaragua (2016); Sharjah Biennial 12, United Arab Emirates (2015); 12a Bienal de la Habana, Cuba (2015); 9th Shanghai Biennale, China (2012); dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany (2012); 12. Istanbul Bienali, Turkey (2011); 6th SeMA Biennale Mediacity Seoul, South Korea (2010); 10a Bienal de la Habana (2009); 54th Venice Biennial (2003).
Videos
In this preview from the ART21 Art in the Twenty-First Century Season 7 episode, Legacy, artist Abraham Cruzvillegas discusses the concept of "autoconstrucción" as an insight into his own artistic practice.
Shown at his parents' home in Mexico City, the artist recounts how the home was constructed with found materials after his father acquired the empty land in the mid-1960s. "'Autoconstrucción' as a concept is related to people making their houses as they can," explains Cruzvillegas. "It's not a method or technique or style; it's more about the social circumstances and the political circumstances."
Abraham Cruzvillegas - Autorreconstrucción: Social Tissue, Kunsthaus Zürich, 2018
La Bruja de Texcoco, Andrés García Nestitla and Edson Ontiveros performing