miguel calderón
piggy banks, 1994
lime, enamel
dimensions variable
museum of natural history series #2, 1995 (printed in 2007)
digital print
34.65 x 43.31 inches
employee of the month #1, 1998
color print
79.75 x 50 inches
employee of the month # 4, 1998
color print
80 x 50 inches
employee of the month # 7, 1998
color print
80.1 x 50 inches
bad route, 1998
oil on canvas
55.25 x 83 inches
el arte de la nogaciación, 1999
dimensions variable
el arte de la nogaciación, 1999
dimensions variable
ridiculum vitae, 2000
carpet
11.5 x 32.8 inches
ridiculum vitae, 2000
carpet
11.5 x 32.8 inches
antifreeze, 2002
c-print
33 x 46 inches
resistol 5000, 2002
metal, fiberglass, vinyl and paint
66 x 64 x 56 inches
inverted star / poseídos, 2002
video transferred to DVD
1:57 minutes
inverted star / poseídos, 2002
video transferred to DVD
1:57 minutes
mutante, 2002
temporary aquarium in the torre latinoamericana in mexico city, mexico displaying fish from chapultapec lake
mutante, 2002
temporary aquarium in the torre latinoamericana in mexico city, mexico displaying fish from chapultapec lake
mutante, 2002
temporary aquarium in the torre latinoamericana in mexico city, mexico displaying fish from chapultapec lake
mutante, 2002
temporary aquarium in the torre latinoamericana in mexico city, mexico displaying fish from chapultapec lake
chapultapec # 8, 2003
color print
26.75 x 39.75 inches
chapultapec #3, 2003
color print
27 x 39.75 inches
chapultapec # 10, 2003
color print
26.77 x 39.96 inches
quantam physics, 2003
installation view at the massachussetts museum of contemporary art, north adams, united states, 2003
quantam physics, 2003
installation view at the massachussetts museum of contemporary art, north adams, united states, 2003
méxico vs brasil, 2004
video transferred to DVD
90:00 minutes
murciélago, 2006
bat and christmas lights
dimensions variable
untitled (rings), 2006
digital inkjet print
38.19 x 51.18 inches
macaco y trapo, 2006
two bicycles and two plastic masks
37.4 x 44.1 x 59.1 inches
buscando criptonita, 2006
video transferred to DVD
5:39 minutes
letreros #1, 2006
digital print
44.88 x 67.72 inches
letreros #2, 2006
digital print
44.88 x 67.72 inches
los pasos del enemigo, 2006
video transferred to dvd
5:39 minutes
acapulco 79, 2008
digital print
55.12 x 70.87 inches
best-seller, 2009
HD video
30:00 minutes
the beast must die (bestseller), 2008
c-print
33 x 46 inches
dedo suizo, 2010
color print
31.5 x 31.5 inches
in the open 1, 2012
digital ink jet print
45.67 x 65.35 inches
color scheme gold, 2012
digital ink jet print
38.58 x 50 inches
color scheme red, 2012
digital ink jet print
38.58 x 50 inches
panic room, 2012
national geographic magazines, wooden pallet, plastic, metal strapping
46 x 39 x 45 inches
panic room, 2012
detail
motel 6, 2012
aluminum, lexan, vinyl, steel, found sticks
384 x 96 x 48 inches
crack, 2012
public sculpture, series of 12 photographs
dimensions variable
crack, 2012
public sculpture, series of 12 photographs
dimensions variable
piggy banks, 1994
lime, enamel
dimensions variable
museum of natural history series #2, 1995 (printed in 2007)
digital print
34.65 x 43.31 inches
employee of the month #1, 1998
color print
79.75 x 50 inches
employee of the month # 4, 1998
color print
80 x 50 inches
employee of the month # 7, 1998
color print
80.1 x 50 inches
bad route, 1998
oil on canvas
55.25 x 83 inches
el arte de la nogaciación, 1999
dimensions variable
el arte de la nogaciación, 1999
dimensions variable
ridiculum vitae, 2000
carpet
11.5 x 32.8 inches
ridiculum vitae, 2000
carpet
11.5 x 32.8 inches
antifreeze, 2002
c-print
33 x 46 inches
resistol 5000, 2002
metal, fiberglass, vinyl and paint
66 x 64 x 56 inches
inverted star / poseídos, 2002
video transferred to DVD
1:57 minutes
inverted star / poseídos, 2002
video transferred to DVD
1:57 minutes
mutante, 2002
temporary aquarium in the torre latinoamericana in mexico city, mexico displaying fish from chapultapec lake
mutante, 2002
temporary aquarium in the torre latinoamericana in mexico city, mexico displaying fish from chapultapec lake
mutante, 2002
temporary aquarium in the torre latinoamericana in mexico city, mexico displaying fish from chapultapec lake
mutante, 2002
temporary aquarium in the torre latinoamericana in mexico city, mexico displaying fish from chapultapec lake
chapultapec # 8, 2003
color print
26.75 x 39.75 inches
chapultapec #3, 2003
color print
27 x 39.75 inches
chapultapec # 10, 2003
color print
26.77 x 39.96 inches
quantam physics, 2003
installation view at the massachussetts museum of contemporary art, north adams, united states, 2003
quantam physics, 2003
installation view at the massachussetts museum of contemporary art, north adams, united states, 2003
méxico vs brasil, 2004
video transferred to DVD
90:00 minutes
murciélago, 2006
bat and christmas lights
dimensions variable
untitled (rings), 2006
digital inkjet print
38.19 x 51.18 inches
macaco y trapo, 2006
two bicycles and two plastic masks
37.4 x 44.1 x 59.1 inches
buscando criptonita, 2006
video transferred to DVD
5:39 minutes
letreros #1, 2006
digital print
44.88 x 67.72 inches
letreros #2, 2006
digital print
44.88 x 67.72 inches
los pasos del enemigo, 2006
video transferred to dvd
5:39 minutes
acapulco 79, 2008
digital print
55.12 x 70.87 inches
best-seller, 2009
HD video
30:00 minutes
the beast must die (bestseller), 2008
c-print
33 x 46 inches
dedo suizo, 2010
color print
31.5 x 31.5 inches
in the open 1, 2012
digital ink jet print
45.67 x 65.35 inches
color scheme gold, 2012
digital ink jet print
38.58 x 50 inches
color scheme red, 2012
digital ink jet print
38.58 x 50 inches
panic room, 2012
national geographic magazines, wooden pallet, plastic, metal strapping
46 x 39 x 45 inches
panic room, 2012
detail
motel 6, 2012
aluminum, lexan, vinyl, steel, found sticks
384 x 96 x 48 inches
crack, 2012
public sculpture, series of 12 photographs
dimensions variable
crack, 2012
public sculpture, series of 12 photographs
dimensions variable
miguel calderón
* 1971, Mexico City
Miguel Calderón explores themes that range from falconry to violence and corruption in Mexico, from youth and family dynamics, to the supernatural. Although his work covers a broad range, it is unified by an ever-present sense of theatricality, the macabre, and a touch of the fantastical. He creates works from a mashup of vernacular references, employing a variety of medium, including video, photography, sculpture and painting. His pieces often combine a dark sense of humor with a certain playfulness and Pop culture references, such as music videos, tabloids, and rock music. These influences are absorbed and reconfigured into works that explore deep social and personal territories. For Calderón, it is important that art be accessible; he came of age as an artist in Mexico during the 1990s, when he was a key figure in the development of a young alternative art scene in Mexico, associated with the non-commercial art space he co-founded called La Panadería. In his practice he considers the divide between the rarified world of “high art” and the day-to-day, deftly weaving together a combination of mockery, foolishness, social critique and sincerity of emotion to create an image that resonates on many levels.
Calderón received his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1994. He has been the recipient of the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation Grant & Commissions program (2013), The MacArthur Fellowship for Film and New Media (2000), and the Bancomer/Rockefeller Fellowship (1995).
His most important solo exhibitions include: Miguel Calderón: Color Bleed, Rochester Art Center, Rochester, New York (2012); Miguel Calderón, solo project, Casa América, Madrid, Spain (2010); Conversations with a Tropical Vulture, with George Kuchar, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco (2010); Bestseller, Panorámica, Museo Tamayo, Mexico City (2009); Ridiculum Vitae, La Panadería, Mexico City, Mexico (1998). Additionally, he has participated in group shows at the following institutions: Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico (2014); Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California (2014); The Foundation Cartier, Paris, France (2013); Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporaneo (MUAC), Mexico City, Mexico (2011); The Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, California (2011); Museo Universitario del Chopo, Mexico City, Mexico (2010); Museum Moderner Kunst (MUMOK), Vienna, Austria (2009); National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland (2007); Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, United States (2007), PS1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, United States (2002), among others.
Calderón has participated in various biennials, including: 7th Internationale Photo-Triennial, Esslingen, Germany (2007); Bussan Biennale, Bussan, Korea (2006); Sharja Biennial 7, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (2005), Yokohama Triennale of Contemporary Art, Yokohama, Japan (2005); ARCO, Madrid, Spain (1998).
Calderón currently lives and works in Mexico City, Mexico.
