Rubén Ulises Rodríguez Montoya's Borderlands Sculptures Channel Junkyard Viscera into Post-Humanist Visions
Rubén Ulises Rodríguez Montoya, a sculptor based in Sunland Park, New Mexico, hails from Parral, Chihuahua. He specializes in post-humanist art, utilizing items sourced from the U.S.–Mexico border to highlight environmental and social issues. Upcoming solo exhibitions include “In the Garden of Earthly Delights: I Bend to Paradise” at the ICA San Diego in 2026 and “Skinchangers: Begotten of My Flesh” at MOCA Cleveland in 2024. That same year, he will be honored with the Joan Mitchell Fellowship. His unique works incorporate materials like car parts from Ciudad Juárez and dragon skin silicone, reflecting his experiences along the Rio Grande.
Key facts
- Rubén Ulises Rodríguez Montoya was born in Parral, Chihuahua, and raised in Sunland Park, New Mexico.
- He had a 2026 solo exhibition, In the Garden of Earthly Delights: I Bend to Paradise, at ICA San Diego.
- His 2024 solo exhibition, Skinchangers: Begotten of My Flesh, was held at MOCA Cleveland.
- He previously showed at Murmurs in Los Angeles and Sargent's Daughters in New York.
- Rodríguez Montoya is a recent recipient of the Joan Mitchell Fellowship.
- He maintains studios in Sunland Park and Mexico City.
- His sculpture Ex Situ Canis Latrans (2021) features Tlahuelpuchi, a vampire made from Ciudad Juárez car parts, welding rods, horn tips, and dragon skin silicone.
- The article is part of Southwest Contemporary's ALIEN series, a continuation of Vol. 14.
Entities
Artists
- Rubén Ulises Rodríguez Montoya
- rafa esparza
Institutions
- ICA San Diego
- MOCA Cleveland
- Murmurs
- Sargent's Daughters
- Ballroom Marfa
- Joan Mitchell Fellowship
- Asarco copper smelter
- Southwest Contemporary
Locations
- Sunland Park
- New Mexico
- United States
- Parral
- Chihuahua
- Mexico
- El Paso
- Texas
- Rio Grande
- Ciudad Juárez
- Mexico City
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Villa López
- Mount Cristo Rey