Native to Mexico’s capital, Mexico City Manuel (he/him) has used his keenly detailed traveling murals, portraits, and nature infused paintings to tell stories lost among dominant people groups that aim to share narratives but exhibit a disconnect from Mesoamerican culture and realities of indigenous people groups. 

 

Manuel now resides within the United States traveling among Southern states and his home country in between his MFA pursuit at the New York Academy of Art. Like many self taught artists his innate talent was met with a desire to expand, explore, and immerse his abilities into further development, which includes continuing to remain connected to his most resounding and first teacher, his native land. 

 

His artistry’s statement is as bold as the vibrant hues of orange, yellow, red, and the symbolic turquoise found in his stories told in paint.

 

Remembrance of his ancestral plane is broadened with each brush stroke, as he intently selects to uplift the Mexican experience both resilient and refined through his art. More than a painter, his stories are an authentic reflection of both architecture and natural elements that have enthralled his attention from his youth. At the heart of his works rests an unwavering devotion for his familia. He chooses to preserve his heritage and subsequently others impacted by it. 

 

When inquiring about his intimate knowledge of Mexican culture, it’s influences, and contributions to the world, Manuel quickly corrects any misunderstanding one may have about the distinction between Aztec and Mesoamerican histories. There is a distinction among the nuances shared amid southern North America and Central America. 

 

His growing body of work explores Spanish conquistadors' effects on the socio-economic condition of Mexico and in particular the remnants of colonization.

 

LatinX cultures are not a monolith, there are cultures and subcultures, histories and folklores that expand experiences over time and space. He chooses to honor the past by bridging it’s influence with the current day… what our society can become when indigenous histories are not mistold. 

 

Elsz & O Storytelling Gallery is pleased to share the art of his story.