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Rafa Esparza's Three Simultaneous Exhibitions in Mexico Mark a Major Institutional Moment

exhibition · 2026-06-01

Chicanx artist rafa esparza (b. 1981, Los Angeles) is experiencing his most significant institutional visibility in Mexico to date, with three concurrent exhibitions in the first half of 2026. At LagoAlgo in Mexico City, his solo show 'juntxs' (May 2–31, 2026) explores adobe as a material of care, queer resistance, and collective memory, incorporating a reclining Chac Mool figure and a cruising archaeology vitrine. Simultaneously, at Museo Anahuacalli (Feb 4–May 10, 2026), he collaborated with Beatriz Cortez (b. 1970, San Salvador) on 'La rebelión de los objetos,' which challenges the museum's institutional logic by placing pre-Hispanic artifacts on an adobe platform and featuring a serpentine adobe sculpture '90° hacia el infinito' that snakes through the building. A third exhibition, 'AV,' opens June 7, 2026, at Plataforma Guadalajara, curated by Sacha Craddock, in collaboration with María Maea, focusing on Los Angeles River margins and cruising zones as refuges. Esparza's practice, rooted in 'brown architecture' and learned from his father Ramón Esparza, has been building in Mexico since 2019 with shows at Museo del Chopo and GAMMA Galería. These three shows—his first solo and duo exhibitions in Mexico City—consolidate his sustained engagement with Mexican contexts, addressing migration, queer bodies, and the agency of ancient objects.

Key facts

  • Rafa Esparza presented two simultaneous exhibitions in Mexico City in 2026: 'juntxs' at LagoAlgo (May 2–31) and 'La rebelión de los objetos' at Museo Anahuacalli (Feb 4–May 10).
  • A third exhibition, 'AV,' opens June 7, 2026, at Plataforma Guadalajara, curated by Sacha Craddock, in collaboration with María Maea.
  • Esparza's work centers on adobe as a material of care, queer resistance, and collective memory, learned from his father Ramón Esparza.
  • At LagoAlgo, 'juntxs' features a reclining Chac Mool figure made of adobe, a cruising archaeology vitrine, and a projected ceiling with helicopter threats.
  • At Museo Anahuacalli, 'La rebelión de los objetos' includes an adobe platform holding pre-Hispanic artifacts and a serpentine adobe sculpture '90° hacia el infinito' that winds through the building.
  • Beatriz Cortez contributed 'Volcán Xitle,' a steel sculpture that traces the logic of the Xitle volcano, dialoguing with the museum's volcanic stone architecture.
  • Esparza has exhibited in Mexico since 2019 at Museo del Chopo and GAMMA Galería, and participated in a 2024 duo show with Guadalupe Rosales at Commonwealth and Council.
  • The exhibitions address migration, queer bodies, the agency of ancient objects, and Indigenous cosmologies, referencing the Popol Vuh and Kaqchikel research community.

Entities

Artists

  • rafa esparza
  • Beatriz Cortez
  • María Maea
  • Ramón Esparza
  • Guadalupe Rosales
  • Sacha Craddock

Institutions

  • LagoAlgo
  • Museo Anahuacalli
  • Plataforma Guadalajara
  • Museo del Chopo
  • GAMMA Galería
  • Commonwealth and Council
  • Artishock Revista

Locations

  • Mexico City
  • Mexico
  • Guadalajara
  • Los Angeles
  • San Salvador

Sources