Eternal Battle

Alfonso Barrera (1974, Mexico City) is an artist, musician, and publisher based in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico. His practice spans drawing, painting, printmaking, publishing, and ceramics. His body of work is distinguished by its combination of symbols, mysticism, and corporeality, where his characters develop ecosystems that are both shadowy and luminous, manifesting the natural dichotomy of humankind. He deconstructs and fragments realities, reconfiguring them according to his own temporality. Representation is suspended between the personal, emotional, and spiritual, primarily expressed in the realm of figuration. Alfonso Barrera's work is mainly influenced by classical art, German Expressionism, Mexican muralists, and primitive art. He began studying drawing and painting at the San Carlos Academy in Mexico City in the mid- 90´ s. His work has been exhibited in museums and cultural centers in Oaxaca. He actively participates in book fairs with his Polvoh Press project. Alfonso Barrera's paintings and graphic works have been exhibited individually at venues such as the Instituto de Artes Graficas de Oaxaca, the Biblioteca Andres Henestrosa, the Casa de la Cultura Oaxaqueña, and the Galeria NN in Oaxaca City, as well as internationally in Japan, New Mexico, and California. He has also participated in artist residencies at the Centro de las Artes de San Agustin Etla, Oaxaca (2022); Hecho Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico (2021); La Ceiba Gráfica (2014); Contemporary-Contemporáneo, Fresno, California, USA (2009); and Poco a Poco, Oaxaca (2023).