Pedro Reyes

Using sculpture, performance, video, and activism, Pedro Reyes explores the potential of both individual and collective organization to instigate change through communication, creativity, joy, and humor.

Biography of Pedro Reyes

Pedro Reyes was born in Mexico City, Mexico, in 1972. He studied Architecture at the Ibero-American University in Mexico City. 

Following his studies, Reyes established "Torre De Los Vientos," an experimental project space located in Mexico City, which operated from 1996 to 2002.

In 2015, he was honored with the U.S. State Department Medal for the Arts. The following year, Reyes held the esteemed position of the inaugural Dasha Zhukova Distinguished Visiting Artist at the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Pedro Reyes' recent solo exhibitions include "Direct Action" at SITE Santa Fe in Santa Fe (2023), "Zero Armi Nucleari" at Museum Nivola in Sardinia (2022), "Tlali" at Lisson Gallery in New York (2021), "SANATORIUM" at MAAT in Lisbon (2021), and many more. 

Reyes has also participated in group exhibitions, including "War is over! Peace has not yet begun" at Fondazione Imago Mundi in Treviso (2023), "Brutalismo Arquitectónico en México" at The Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City (2023), "Artists Against the Bomb" at Judd Foundation in New York (2023), "Realistic Utopias: An Archive of the Future" at KØS in Copenhagen (2022), among others.

Pedro Reyes' Art Style

Pedro Reyes has gained global recognition for his large-scale projects that address social and political issues.

One of his ongoing endeavors, "Palas por Pistolas," offers a socio-political critique of present-day gun culture. Collaborating with local authorities in Culiacán, Mexico, Reyes melts down firearms into shovels, which are then used to plant trees in cities worldwide.

Similarly, Reyes' ongoing "Disarm" series transforms firearms confiscated by the Mexican government into musical instruments, activated by local musicians.

More recently, Reyes has partnered with The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists and ICAN to organize anti-nuclear protests and performances worldwide.

In addition to his socially engaged projects, Reyes continues to create sculptures. Crafted from red and black volcanic stone, marble, and jadeite, these monumental works oscillate between figuration and abstraction, drawing inspiration from a diverse range of sources including Greco-Roman statuary, British Modernism, and Mesoamerican sculpture.