La noche más obscura

Travesía Cuatro presents La noche más obscura [The darkest night], a project by Alejandro García Contreras (Chiapas, Mexico. 1982), in our space in the city of Guadalajara.

Alejandro García Contreras‘ work is based on a complex imagery, where Chiapas artisanal production, colonial art, cartoons and pop comics, folklore, mythology and his personal history come together. Just as the creative resources are diverse, so is the materiality of his projects, as they fuse ceramics, graphics, painting and other artistic resources. This combination of elements results in suggestive forms in which the viewer can explore the divine and the evil, the magical, the erotic, the feminine and various taboo dimensions from his or her own unconscious, thus discovering a new sense of divinity through contemporary idols.

García Contreras studied visual arts at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and has received awards from Artfest International World Trade Center (2006) and the FONCA Jóvenes Creadores (2009, 2014-2015).

His solo exhibitions have been showcased in various spaces including The Museum of Human Achievement (Texas, USA), Museo Experimental El Eco (CDMX, Mexico); Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños (Oaxaca, Mexico); Centro Cultural Jaime Sabinos (Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico); Museo de Arte Moderno (CDMX, Mexico); Museo Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso (CDMX, Mexico); Museo Universitario del Chopo (CDMX, Mexico): Museo Ex Teresa Arte Actual (CDMX, Mexico); Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (Monterrey, Mexico) and Centro Nacional de las Artes (CDMX, Mexico).

In addition to these institutional spaces, García Contreras has had solo exhibitions at Saenger Galería (Mexico City), Eitoeiko Gallery (Tokyo, Japan) and Typology Gallery (Toronto, Canada); being first two shows, Stardust we are, stardust we will be, Proyectos Monclova (Mexico City, 2013) and Watchtower and the herald of Presence, PS Project Space (Amsterdam, Holland, 2012).

He has participated in several group exhibitions that have been shown in Mexico, United States, Sweden, Spain, Argentina, Holland, Canada, England, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru.

García Contreras has participated in several artistic residencies, including Noborigama (Areguá, Paraguay, 2023), Estudio 797 (Guadalajara. Jalisco, 2021), Cabra Casa Brasil (Guadalajara, Jalisco, 2020), Cerámica Suro (Guadalajara, Jalisco, 2020), Laguna Blanca (Guadalajara, Jalisco, 2019), Unlisted Projects (Austin, Texas, 2019), USSR Estudio (Mexico City, 2018), Cuadro 22 (Switzerland, 2018), Casa Wabi (Oaxaca, 2016), S.S. Gilroy (Los Angeles California, 2016) and Atelier de Création (Québec, 2013).

In 2008 Contreras co-founded the Laboratorio de Artes de Chiapas and in 2009 he joined Neter, an initiative promoting young Mexican artists locally and internationally. He currently collaborates with Cerámica Suro. He lives and works in Guadalajara, Mexico.