Abraham Cruzvillegas: Autoconstrucción | Art21 "Extended Play"

Episode #232: Abraham Cruzvillegas discusses his personal and artistic relationship to the concept of autoconstrucción from his childhood home in Mexico City. "Autoconstucción is about self-constructing or constructing your own house," the artist explains, adding, "I like the term because it leads me to think about the construction of identity." Cruzvillegas, who is shown assembling his large-scale installation "The Autoconstrucción Suites" at the Walker Art Center, is not illustrating autoconstrucción houses through his work, but instead is activating the method’s dynamic improvisation through the use of found materials.
Inspired by the harsh landscape and living conditions of his childhood neighborhood, Abraham Cruzvillegas assembles sculptures and installations from found objects and disparate materials. Expanding on the intellectual investigation of his own paradoxical aesthetic concepts of "autoconstrucción" and "autodestrucción," he likens his works to self-portraits of contradictory elements, exploring the effects of improvisation, transformation, and decay on his materials and work. In his experiments with video and performance, through the use of academic research and personal and family archives, he reveals the deep connection between his identity-born of the realities of his family’s life in Mexico-and his artistic practice.
Learn more about the artist at:
www.art21.org/artists/abraham-...
Art21 "Extended Play" is supported, in part, by 21c Museum Hotel, and by individual contributors.
CREDITS: Producer: Ian Forster. Interview: Susan Sollins. Editor: Morgan Riles. Camera: Mark Falstad, Kevin Galligan, David Howe & Joel Shapiro. Sound: Heidi Hesse & Mauricio Rodríguez. Artwork Courtesy: Abraham Cruzvillegas. Special Thanks: Walker Art Center.
#AbrahamCruzvillegas #Art21 #Art21ExtendedPlay

[@nahumflores7182]

Autoconstrucción is very common in Central America. Most people build their places and continues expanding en transforming their homes as the family grows. Amazing artist, I haven't heard of Cruzvillegas!

[@MM-li5xw]

El sentido de la estética es de familia,lo trae en la sangre.

[@limitcanc3l]

Nice sculptures but I'm more interested in that house.

[@rox0o0o]

it's so brave, be mexican is so much for anyone

[@ArtSFBlog]

Yes

[@beatrizibarra8663]

Prefiero ser una ignorante en arte si no me gusta esto pero no borrega, lógica tan triste es nuestra vida que dejamos que esto nos impresione.

[@matiasmov1]

No tienes nada que aprender que no tenga que ver con lo que puedas experienciar, la obra es lo manifestado como fenómeno sensible, sensorial, y si te interesa o no es cuestión relativa a tu nivel de atención a ese fenómeno, si entonces puesta la atención en todo eso que hace a la obra no la consideras interesante, no hay nada que aprender. El arte contemporáneo visual se nutre de la obra y su naturaleza objetual visible, tangible, sensible, como siempre...y la reflexión hecha en palabras es la que te puede o no confundir al observador, confía en tu experiencia, por supuesto esta no es una defensa del arte más clásico per se, es una consideración respetuosa de tu derecho a experienciar y valorar desde ese plano.

[@TaylorMade511]

I need to Autoconstucción some money. :)

[@zaicolainen]

Art attack!?

[@RichardCorral]

You learn in art school that "illustration" is a bad word, and Duchamp is a genius.... yawn

[@joaquinfloresrodriguez4035]

puras pendejadas XD

[@alfonsosanchez2796]

What can I say? Esto es una verdadera porquería.

[@PammeO]

Que mierda es esto!!!

[@mauriciojimeneztorres4070]

Vaya! Cómo se dejan engañar por este "artista" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣