Some of the best Mexican art is unintended and right on the street. This is Santa Muerte holding some poor soul.
Hi there.
I'd like to introduce you readers to the contemporary treasures I've found since I've been here. Why I went to a Mexican art residency is because, in addition to producing new work, I would like to establish a network between the Netherlands and Mexico. I've been in love with this country for years, and for purely selfish reasons I wanted to get a foothold here so that I could occasionally travel to Mexico to exhibit. That was the main goal of these seven weeks at Arthouse Pani. The funny thing is that since I got to know more and more artists here, I found that they have the same idea. Many artists in Mexico City want to make the connection with the Netherlands.
Hence this summary of artists, I want to introduce my Dutch contacts to some of the Mexican artists whose work I appreciate.
In this piece I will hyperlink to the instagram of the artist, since the main goal is to connect. A portfolio website isn’s that strong for connecting in my opinion (and I missed the boat on TikTok)
My criteria for the selection were
1- the artist must be Mexican
2- I must have seen the work in real life
3- the work must be damn good
All these people are dear to my heart, so don’t hesitate to send them some fan mail. Enjoy!
Haniel Fonseca
What I often see in Mexican art is an outlet for dark feelings and thoughts. For example, death and violence are a popular subject for visual art. What often annoys me is that it is used in a one-dimensional way, a skull here and a grim reaper there.
That is certainly not the case with Haniel. He juggles with elements that should be fun: balloons, streamers and party hats. The actors he uses tell the story, this is a party you don't want to be at. The sense of misplacedness has been masterfully expressed. The feeling of being out of place is universal, but the way it's rendered here is masterfully specific. The compositions have light as a starting point and are balanced, yet feel kinetic and spontaneous.
There are also a lot of car accidents and burnt-out vehicles. This fascination is no wonder either - when you open a Mexican newspaper the front page is shows murder - football - big tits - car accident.
ricardo santos
Ricardo is a special kind of artist that I have never encountered before. He looks at the profession in a refreshing way. So what's so special about this guy?
Besides clearly having an incredible visual talent, in my opinion his greatest strength lies elsewhere. He is a hardcore connector. His studio (No Es Una Galeria) is also a non-gallery that he runs with a number of friends and about sixty international artists as supporters. Little by little they are stretching their webs to Europe and other parts of the world. On a macro level, Ricardo is smart and tactical, he creates what he needs instead of waiting for it. At a micro level, he is socially sensitive and knows exactly how to bring and keep a room full of people together: a social beast.
His work varies between socially critical drawings and model paintings. He creates gigantic works that juxtapose the ancient culture of Mexico with the current one. The impact of multinationals and mass consumption is painfully exposed. In other works, Ricardo likes to show his master craftsmanship. I especially like his dark works. I'd like to see him drop a few checks here and there, and thankfully that's reflected in the fact that he's letting other people draw over his paintings with crayons. I love it when artist are able to lose control.
Mario Gildardo
Mario is one of the residents of Arthouse Pani, but I've known him for a while through No Es Una Galeria. I had seen his work in various places and it immediately appealed to me. When you see his work, a link with the Cobra movement is obvious. He works intuitively, quickly and colorfully. Yesterday I worked with him all evening and it was nice to see how we produce in the same way but with a very different outcome. Mario flutters like a butterfly through the workshop, especially when he printed his first-ever linocut. His works stream out without any form of filter. He should give workshops to people with performance anxiety, his attitude might look alien to them.
Mario is a lovely, luminous presence. His smile changes night to day and you can see that in his work. It's humorous and often outright silly. Some works lack some attention or concentration as far as I'm concerned, but the freedom and uninhibitedness are wonderful to see. In addition, his intuitive use of colour is right on the money.
L’araignee
Next up: L'araignee (the spider), real name Abril. I met her at a party she threw with her boyfriend Pierre.
The apartment where this party was held is called The Void, this is the abstract place where they both live and create art. It's on the tenth floor with a view over all of Mexico City, you'll feel like royalty. In this neon-coloured artist's house, the walls are full of crazy work, as is this beautiful tapestry.
It reminded me of brightly coloured fungi that you want to lie in, not knowing that they are slowly digesting your body. The work plays with desire and danger. As her name (the spider) suggests, there is a combination between creation, the lure of the viewer and the capture of the victim. Abril herself is modest and didn't seem aware of her expressive power yet. An artist in that phase is always very interesting to follow. The couple seem to compliment each other very well. I will talk more about Pierre later in this blog.
leonardo diaz
For those who know my work a little, you will immediately see a kinship with this painter. When I met Leonardo in San Miguel de Allende it felt like a creative brotherhood, as he has a clear preference for Western European painting. He works it out in a quirky and powerful way. I see the work as an interesting fusion between Mexican subjects with a German neo-expressionist approach. It's exactly the niche that I particularly like.
When I see Leo's work, I noticed the struggle between academic knowledge and newly acquired freedom. In some works I see that he can't hold back to take control and in some works he lets go of everything and frees his hand. Those are the works where the real strength lies in my opinion. The (car)accident is a rewarding subject in Leo's oeuvre, as I mentioned earlier with Haniels’ work.
In addition to his studio, Leo also has a gallery called Trapo, which seems to be more common here than in the Netherlands. In this way the artists do not have to wait for exhibitions, they are in control themselves. It is immensely inspiring to see artists fighting for their existence in a country without art subsidies or government support. The artist exercise their power to create and connect. The hard work makes them as strong as they are.
Pierre Fudaryli
Pierre is Abril's friend whom I mentioned earlier in this piece, I met this colorful couple during Semana del Arte in Mexico City. While enjoying a fermented pineapple drink (tepache), we look around the crazy house of Pierre and Abril. The most striking works are by Pierre. What is immediately noticeable is the knowledge and appreciation for ancient art movements, and their modern interpretation. He uses the aesthetics of the chiaroscuro in combination with alienating digital collages and edits.
His eye for composition and balance is unsurpassed. The colors have been carefully chosen, and everything seems to be a well-considered choice. Personally, I like his subtle works the strongest, in which only two or three colors are used. I think the effect he aims for lies mainly in the subtlety. His experience in photography, painting and digital means ensures a result that is at an advanced point of professionalism. I would almost be afraid that no more experiment would take place, but fortunately that is not the case. He still fucks around with new materials, like a great artist should.
Knut pani
Knut is the maestro of Arthouse Pani, the residency from which I write this piece. Within this list full of figurative art, Knut is a refreshing voice. A rare breed in these times it seems.
This man is a beast when he works, it is a joy to watch. He throws paint bombs on his painting, walks over his canvas and mops some more ink over the work. Some paintings have been worked with asphalt and there is even a work that he put under the operation of one of his horses, the blood trail from the neck of the poor beast became the work of art.
I have to admit that I wasn't much into abstract art, and when I first saw Knut's work it didn't immediately appeal to me. But the best cheese smells bad at first. Such was my experience with his work. He made me open my eyes to abstract art: why do we even come to the point of abstraction? I am starting to appreciate his style and working method more and more.
Knut's life looks like a great existence, he puts cars vertically in the garden and can drink Mezcal while he works. Yesterday I made a technical mistake in the workshop, he said: "yeah, that happens when you work while drinking" - That comment shows the hierarchy of actions clearly, I think.
Thanks to all the amazing people I met so far.
On another note
Yesterday a little documentary released about one of my latest art projects. Check it out: