Abraham Cruzvillegas

Across diverse mediums such as sculpture, painting, drawing, installation, and video, Abraham Cruzvillegas demonstrates a profound and continual connection with the tangible realm, deeply engaging in the perpetual evolution of both personal and collective identities.

Biography of Abraham Cruzvillegas

Abraham Cruzvillegas was born in 1968 in Mexico City. He was raised in Ajusco, a district located in the southern region of Mexico City. He pursued his academic interests at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where he eventually transitioned into a teaching role, sharing his expertise in Art History and Theory with students at UNAM.

Emerging as a pivotal figure in the burgeoning era of conceptual art in Mexico City throughout the 1980s and 90s, Cruzvillegas embarked on his artistic journey under the mentorship of Gabriel Orozco from 1987 to 1991. 

In the 1980s, the artist, alongside Gabriel Kuri, Dr. Lakra, and Orozco, engaged in the "Friday Workshops", a regular gathering where artists convened to collaborate and exchange ideas.

Abraham Cruzvillegas was awarded the Prix Altadis d'arts plastiques (2006), the Artist Research Fellowship from the Smithsonian Institution (2008), and the 5th Yanghyun Prize from the Yanghyun Foundation (2012). 

Since 2007, Cruzvillegas has embarked on a series of artistic endeavors delving into the concept he terms "autoconstrucción," referring to self-construction.

His recent solo exhibitions include "jérôme bel" at kurimanzutto in Mexico City (2023), "éclat" at Les Tanneries — Centre d’art contemporain in Amilly (2022), "Tres sonetos" at Regen Projects in Los Angeles, and many more. Additionally, the artist has participated in numerous group shows worldwide, including "Je suis la chaise" at Galerie Chantal Crousel in Paris (2022), "Building and Dreaming" at BY ART MATTERS in Hangzhou (2022), "Work it Out" at Kunsten Museum for Modern Art Aalborg in Denmark (2021), "El tiempo en las cosas. Salas de Arte Contemporáneo" at Museo Amparo in Puebla (2021), among others. 

Abraham Cruzvillegas's Art Style 

Abraham Cruzvillegas's creative journey is profoundly shaped by his environment. Instead of adhering to a specific artistic medium, much of his work is united by the concept of autoconstrucción. He adopts an approach characterized by inventive improvisation and instability, reflecting a belief in perpetual change as an inherent aspect of life's chaotic and fragmented essence.

His sculptures defy conventional notions of art creation through the utilization of a diverse array of gathered objects, while his paintings and drawings showcase a sharp portrayal of subjects imbued with a notable sense of humor, a skill honed during his formative years as a political cartoonist.

Abraham Cruzvillegas's body of work, spanning performance, sculpture, and painting, serves as a reflection of human existence: tumultuous, unrefined, and unpredictable, yet simultaneously potent, dynamic, and evolving.