eduardo abaroa
1968, Mexico City
Eduardo Abaroa examines aspects of impermanence, history and the socio-political fabric of society through his artistic practice. He reimagines iconic works and powerful cultural symbols - seeking to dismantle notions of monumentality and modernity. Found in the intersection of sculpture, installation and performance, his practice has an immediacy that playfully evades the preciousness associated with the art object. He avoids traditional “fine art” connotations by working with unusual material and inexpensive everyday objects: from port-a-potties, tarp and the rubble of demolished buildings, to junk jewelry, cotton swabs, straws and plastic bottles. Abaroa’s site-specific projects seek to undermine the authority of Mexican cultural institutions along with their official narrative and ultra-nationalistic ideology. By juxtaposing various ideological, aesthetic and cultural traditions, the artist offers an incisive point of view, deeply critical of the economic and social structures that govern our society.
Abaroa completed his BFA at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas (UNAM) in 1992 and MFA from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2001. In 1993, the artist was a founding member of the artist-run space Temístocles 44 in Mexico City. He was artist in residence at FLORA ars+natura in Bogota (2014) and Corcoran Gallery in Washington (2012). In 2011 he was director of the IX International Symposium on Contemporary Art Theory (SITAC) in Mexico City. Abaroa has contributed exhibition catalog texts for many notable artists in Mexico, as well as columns and reviews for several journals and publications. He has been the recipient of many grants and awards including, premio artes visuales Sociedad Internacional de Valores de Arte Mexicano (SIVAM) in 2006 and 2005, Sistema Nacional de Creadores from the Mexican Ministry of Culture, and Fulbright Scholarship, both in 2004.
Eduardo Abaroa lives and works in Mexico City.
portable broken obelisk for outdoor markets, 1991-1993
steel, plastic canvas, rope
96.46 x 83.46 x 83.46 in.
portable broken obelisk for outdoor markets, 1991-1993
steel, plastic canvas, rope
96.46 x 83.46 x 83.46 in.
portable broken obelisk for outdoor arkets (yellow version), 2015
steel, plastic canvas, rope
196.46 x 83.46 x 83.46 in.
the gift exchange (la catedral del gol), 2011
ink jet print on cotton paper
12.6 x 16.9 in.
the gift exchange (café de chinos), 2011
ink jet print on cotton paper
16.9 x 25.6 in.
the gift exchange (china-mexico free trade agreement), 2011
wire sink strainers on handcrafted flute. sculpture for performance in collaboration with yang zenzhong
11.8 x 3.9 x 3.1 in.
the gift exchange (china-mexico free trade agreement), 2011
plumbing objects and rarámuri mask. sculpture for performance in collaboration with yang zenzhong
variable dimensions
sociopathic real estate, 2004
dollhouse, clothing, world globe
variable dimensions
sociopathic real estate, item 4, 2004
dollhouse, clothing, world globe
31.5 x 19.69 x 17.72 in.
the other world, and another, and another…, 2008
steel structure, galvanized steel chain and wire, cardboard and plastic globes, human clothing, string
39.37 x 39.37 x 39.37 in.
sanitary stonehenge (model and drawings), 2006
wooden blocks and works on paper
variable dimensions
sanitary stonehenge (installation view), 2006
portable bathroom cabins
variable dimensions
free thirst, 2007
plaster and wood
53.15 x 15.75 x 15.35 in.
aspirin pyramid, 1996
7,000 aspirins, hot melt adhesive and wire
7.09 x 13.78 x 13.78 in.
fragment for human hands, item 6, 2009
pencil sharpener manivel, strainer handle, cleaning brush handle, hair brush handle, baby cleaner bubble, bicycle handlebar, brush handle, baby spoon fragment, 2 drawer handles, tape recorder handle, electric switch, kitchen utensil, 2 sink cross handles
25.59 x 25.59 x 25.98 in.
promising past, 1999
performance. the players have to remove the paint from a metal jungle jim. they use paint remover (toxic) and a metal scrape (non-toxic)
fake gold, several kilometers (wall version), 1991-2005
plan to gather enough fake gold chain to surround the actual territory of mexico (approximately 15,000 km)
variable dimensions
fake gold 20.96 kilometers (coastline of the bermeja island), 2011
aluminum coated in gold
20.96 km of imitation gold jewelry chain
suspended work (drive a genie on an inclined ramp so it falls against the museum wall), 2007
collage, pencil, ink on paper
8.6 x 11.8 in.
total destruction of the athropology museum, 2012
installation view at kurimanzutto, mexico city
expansive cement (central column), 2012
3 demolished cylinders of expansive concrete
40.55 x 13.98 in. diameter each
total destruction of the athropology museum, 2012
installation view at kurimanzutto, mexico city
lattice (wood), 2012
9 burned wooden blocks
70.87 x 106.3 x 51.18 in.
still from explosives (monolito de coatlinchan), 2012
digital video
10 min
still from explosives (monolito de coatlinchan), 2012
digital video
10 min
archaeological insertion 435, 2012
digital print and cloakroom token
23.78 x 36.77 x 2.17 in. framed
archaeological insertion 419, 2012
digital print and cloakroom token
23.78 x 36.77 x 2.17 in. framed
archaeological insertion 254, 2012
digital print and cloakroom token
23.78 x 36.77 x 2.17 in. framed
notes for the destruction of the anthropology museum (figure), 2014
inkjet print on cotton paper
13.12 x 19.69 in.
notes for the destruction of the anthropology museum (amber), 2014
inkjet print on cotton paper
13.12 x 19.69 in.
notes for the destruction of the anthropology museum (future, past, greatness, human), 2014
inkjet print on cotton paper
13.12 x 19.69 in.
notes for the destruction of the anthropology museum (lighting), 2014
inkjet print on cotton paper
13.12 x 19.69 in.
notes for the destruction of the anthropology museum (fishing net), 2014
inkjet print on cotton paper
13.12 x 19.69 in.
notes for the destruction of the anthropology museum (remember ayotzinapa), 2014
inkjet print on cotton paper
13.12 x 19.69 in.
three examples of cultural reproduction, 2013
multimedia installation. hammered blocks with the texture of the tamayo museum in mexico city
variable dimensions
three examples of cultural reproduction, 2013
multimedia installation. mixtec ceramic piece from the tamayo museum in oaxaca, museum cations with assorted information
variable dimensions
three examples of cultural reproduction, 2013
multimedia installation. keychains with the image of the mayan world museum in mérida and the logo of atlacomulco
variable dimensions
the great oxygen catastrophe, 2015
video installation
projection (sphere height): 82.6 in.
lost wax, 2015
set of 3. 18k gold bee on wooden base
7.09 x 9.45 x 7.09 in. installed
lost wax, 2015
set of 3. 18k gold bee on wooden base
7.09 x 9.45 x 7.09 in. installed
lost wax, 2015
set of 3. 18k gold bee on wooden base
7.09 x 9.45 x 7.09 in. installed
Selected recent solo exhibitions include: La isla quiere decirme algo, Museo Universitario del Chopo, Mexico City (2022); Imaginario vegetal, colaboration with Sofia Táboas, as part of El tiempo en las cosas II. Salas de Arte Contemporáneo (two-person exhibition), Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico (2021); Otros especímenes, as part of Siembra, kurimanzutto, Mexico City (2021); serie de colección, as part of Siembra, kurimanzutto, Mexico City (2020); Tipología del estorbo. Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico (2017); Fotosíntesis, Casa del Lago Juan José Arreola | UNAM, Mexico City (2015); Stonhenge Sanitario, Sala de Arte Público Siqueiros, Mexico City (2006); Eduardo Abaroa, Engendros del ocio y la hipocresía (1991-1999), Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Mexico (2003) and Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City (1999); Bitácora Artística, Curare Espacio Crítico para las Artes, Mexico City (1997).
Abaroa has participated in numerous group exhibitions, such as: TODOS JUNTOS (All Together), kurimanzutto, Mexico City (2022); Pintar el Lienzo de Tlaxcala, Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco (CCU Tlatelolco), Mexico City (2021); Excepciones Normales: Arte contemporáneo en México, Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2021); Abuso de las formas, Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Mexico City (2019); Autorreconstrucción: Detritus, Museo Universitario de Ciencias y Artes (MUCA), Mexico City (2018); Below the Underground: Renegade Art and Action in 1990s Mexico, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, United States (2018); Condemned To Be Modern, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG) (2017); Lecturas de un territorio fracturado, Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico (2017); Monumentos, anti-monumentos y nueva escultura pública, MAZ- Museo de Arte de Zapopan, Mexico (2017); El orden natural de las cosas, Museo Jumex, Mexico City (2016); Kozmic Blues. Entre control / Descontrol, Complejo Cultural Universitario–BUAP, Puebla, Mexico (2016); Rights of Nature, Nottingham Contemporary, United Kingdom (2015); Strange Currencies: Art & Action in Mexico City, 1990-2000, The Galleries at Moore, Philadelphia, United States (2015); El testigo del siglo, Museo de Arte Zapopan, Mexico (2014); Hay más rutas que la nuestra, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City (2013); México Inside Out: Themes in Art Since 1990, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, United States (2013); Antes de la resaca, Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo, MUAC, Mexico City (2011); Mexico: Expected / Unexpected - collection Isabel et Agustín Coppel, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, United States (2011) and La maison rouge, Paris (2008); Poetics of the Handmade, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2007); Eco, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (2005), and many others.
His work has also been curated in the following biennials: XIII Bienal FEMSA 2018, Monterrey, Mexico; Busan Biennale 2008, South Korea; 25a Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil (2002) and inSite_97, Tijuana/San Diego border (1997).
Eduardo Abaroa, Sofia Táboas and a group of mexican artisans collaborated to mold and carve a collection of 53 sculptures of different dimensions, whose shapes correspond to plants, roots or animals, such as mandrakes, insects, birds-dolphins, flowers of different types, peyotes, artichokes, nopales, avocados, trees, sheep-dogs, scorpion worms, branches, a flying saucer, among many more at Museo Amparo in Puebla.
kurimanzutto is proud to announce the group exhibition: Normal Exceptions: Contemporary Art in Mexico in Museo Jumex in which Abraham Cruzvillegas, Daniel Guzmán, Damián Ortega, Eduardo Abaroa, Gabriel Kuri, Gabriel Orozco, Iñaki Bonillas, and Miguel Calderón participate.
This talk is the event that closes the participation that Biquini Wax EPS, an artistic community in constant transformation, had in Siembra 9 project, in which they presented for the first time in Mexico their piece of baroque plastic rhetoric Sa la na, a yuum, iasis. Laissez faire, laissez passer (2019).
