Abraham Cruzvillegas creates ephemeral sculptures and installations inspired by the informal, vernacular architecture of his childhood neighborhood in Mexico City. Using found materials and improvisational construction techniques, Cruzvillegas assembles whimsical objects that pay tribute to the creative architectural solutions commonly found in working class and marginalized communities.
This exhibition marks a collaborative effort between the artist, the Contemporary Austin, and the Aspen Art Museum that focuses on play, interactivity, and local community. Describing his work as autoconstrucción, or “self-construction,” Cruzvillegas deploys this inventive approach as a way of celebrating the ingenuity and invention that arises from adverse circumstances, while also addressing broader issues of cultural identity and economic disparity. The resulting body of work embraces the informal and the communal in order to celebrate the personal and the social.