Eduardo Abaroa

1968, Mexico City // Eduardo Abaroa examines the ephemeral aspects of culture, history, and the socio-political fabric of society. His work reinterprets iconic works and cultural symbols, seeking to dismantle the concepts of monumentality and modernity. Situated at the intersection of sculpture, installation, and performance, his practice is marked by an immediacy that distances it from the pretensions often associated with artistic expression. His works sidestep associations with traditional “fine arts” by employing everyday materials found in Mexico City’s markets and streets: from portable toilets, tarps, and rubble from demolished buildings to cotton swabs, straws, costume jewelry, and plastic bottles.

Site-specific in nature, Abaroa’s projects aim to undermine the authority of cultural institutions—such as the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City—as well as the official narratives and ultranationalist ideologies they promote. By juxtaposing diverse ideological, aesthetic, and cultural traditions, the artist offers an incisive perspective that critiques the economic and social structures that govern our society.