Abraham Cruzvillegas's Autoconstrucción and Autodestrucción: From Ajusco Roots to Global Manifestations
Abraham Cruzvillegas's work focuses on the concepts of autoconstrucción and autodestrucción, the latter of which he unveiled in December 2023 at Regen Projects in Los Angeles. Since 2007, autoconstrucción has drawn inspiration from the home his parents built in Ajusco during the 1960s, alongside other families who squatted there. His art, characterized by its unfinished quality and multiplicity, has been showcased worldwide, such as at La Petite Ceinture in Paris in 2010. Notable collaborations include Autoconstrucción at CCA Glasgow in 2008 and The Self-Builders' Groove in Berlin in 2011. His 2009 film Autoconstrucción contains explicit scenes filmed in Ajusco, influenced by artists like Robert Rauschenberg and David Hammons, addressing themes of identity and subculture.
Key facts
- Abraham Cruzvillegas is a Mexico-born, Mexico City-based artist working since the 1990s.
- Autoconstrucción, his umbrella term since 2007, is inspired by his parents' home in Ajusco, built by squatting families in the 1960s.
- Autodestrucción was introduced in a December exhibition at Regen Projects in Los Angeles titled Autodestrucción 1.
- Projects include La Petite Ceinture at Galerie Chantal Crousel in Paris in 2010, a large architectural structure of found materials.
- Musical collaborations include Autoconstrucción at the CCA in Glasgow in 2008 and The Self-Builders' Groove in Berlin in 2011.
- A 62-minute film from 2009, Autoconstrucción, features explicit sex scenes in Ajusco, based on a childhood memory.
- Influences include Robert Rauschenberg, David Hammons, Jimmie Durham, and Gabriel Orozco.
- Autodestrucción explores zoot suiters and Zazous, subcultural groups from World War II, with autobiographical roots in his great uncle.
Entities
Artists
- Abraham Cruzvillegas
- Robert Rauschenberg
- David Hammons
- Jimmie Durham
- Gabriel Orozco
- Gabriel Acevedo Velarde
- Sebastian Gräfe
- John O'Hara
- Julio Cortázar
- Robert Smithson
Institutions
- Regen Projects
- Galerie Chantal Crousel
- CCA Glasgow
- DAAD
- Documenta
- ArtReview
Locations
- Mexico City
- Mexico
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Paris
- France
- Glasgow
- United Kingdom
- Berlin
- Germany
- Kassel
- Ajusco