ABRAHAM CRUZVILLEGAS

Abraham Cruzvillegas Artworks

At the basis of Abraham Cruzvillegas' practice lies autoconstrucción or 'self-building', a concept that derives from his upbringing in Colonia Ajusco. The neighbourhood, which only began to be occupied in the 1960s, was largely built by members of the community through collective effort and improvisation.

Inspired by a spirit of recycling and constant rebuilding, Cruzvillegas often employs inexpensive, found, or local materials and leaves many of his works unfinished. As he told Art21 in 2016, this approach is analogous to his construction of his identity.

Self-Portraits

Among Cruzvillegas' investigations into culture and identity is Blind Self Portrait (2008). The wall installation consists of hundreds of paper scraps, including leaflets, newspapers, postcards, flyers, tickets, and receipts, that he painted in red and pinned to a wall face down. By obscuring the printed sides from view, Cruzvillegas deliberately confused their content and identity in a reference to exclusion and marginalisation in public space. Blind Self Portrait has been reiterated in different colours, such as green in 2013 and white in 2016.

Empty Lot

Unpredictability enters Abraham Cruzvillegas' works such as Empty Lot: the inaugural Hyundai Commission for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, London, in 2015. The monumental installation consisted of scaffolding built with materials from various London construction sites and 240 triangular flower beds. The soil mixed samplings from 36 sites across the city. No seeds were planted, except for those that may have already been in the earth, leaving the future of the flower beds to chance.

Nature

Nature and environmental concerns are recurring themes in Cruzvillegas' works. The Water Trilogy exhibitions—presented at Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris; Maison Hermès, Tokyo; and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam—for example, revolved around sculptures and installations that examine water issues in urban cities. Agua Dulce (2020) at The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, by contrast, offered a plant sanctuary to the public. The large-scale installation was made of numerous plant species and accompanied by performances mimicking birds.

Abraham Cruzvillegas has presented his works at international exhibitions including the 21st Biennale of Sydney (2018), Sharjah Biennial 12 (2015), 12th Havana Biennial (2015), Gwangju Biennale (2012), and the 12th Istanbul Biennial (2011).

Exhibitions

Abraham Cruzvillegas has held solo exhibitions at Aspen Art Museum, Colorado; Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris; Kunsthaus Zürich; kurimanzutto, Mexico City; Museo Jumex, Mexico City; LA MAISON DE RENDEZ-VOUS, Brussels; and Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. Cruzvillegas' work has been included in group exhibitions at Boghossian Foundation, Villa Empain, Brussels; The Kitchen, New York; Montpellier Contemporain, France; and Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City.

Website

Abraham Cruzvillegas' Instagram can be found here.

Sherry Paik | Ocula | 2024