New Light

“If you keep investigating them and you keep looking at them, they just get deeper and deeper”

Storytelling is in the bones of La casa artist Eduardo Sarabia’s works. He mines a variety of sources, from the pig farm next door and his grandfather’s treasure map to using the Japanese technique of Kintsugi to salvage cracking, human-sized vases. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sarabia found his connection to Guadalajara a little later in life, but when he did, he never left.

Eduardo Sarabia's ceramic vessels

“There’s an amazing art collector … who owns a ceramic factory there,” Sarabia says in an interview. “He saw my artwork at Miami Basel, the fair, and he looked me up and he invited me to Guadalajara to produce some work with him. I thought I was only going to be there for three months — and it’s been 20 years.”

Two of Sarabia’s towering ceramic vessels (sized to his height and width) — embellished with all things legal and illegal, personal and fascinating — sit in our Main Gallery. The artist paints vivid murals as well, including the greenery — inspired by L.A.’s sprawling vines — currently climbing our Showroom. Weaving narratives in his work, Sarabia finds solace and excitement within a city-turned-home.

Artist Eduardo Sarabia (center) with La casa artists and curator

“I think there’s something really special happening in Guadalajara,” Sarabia says. “The creative scene is definitely influenced and started by artists. There’s this whole thing in the [exhibition’s Learning Gallery] about how artists can change communities; I really feel like Guadalajara is an interesting model for that. Everything that’s happening, the energy, the friendships and the light that’s shone on Guadalajara is amazing.”

Catch the full interview with the Guadalajara-based artist below. Over the run of the exhibition, we’ll unveil new conversations about La casa, Guadalajara and cultivating creative communities. See an interview with Eduardo Sarabia below, Cynthia Gutiérrez here, Claudia Cisneros here, curator Viviana Kuri here and artist talks held opening weekend here. Or visit our entire La casa playlist on YouTube.

Tags
artist interview La casa que nos inventamos mural ceramics Guadalajara

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