ABRAHAM CRUZVILLEGAS

ABRAHAM CRUZVILLEGAS

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, Abraham

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