Miguel Calderón

 Born in Mexico City, 1971

Lives and works in Mexico City.

Miguel Calderón is considered a seminal figure in Mexico's independent art scene. His pieces often combine a dark sense of humor that is reconfigured into works that explore deep social and personal territories, taking advantage of what he has at hand to create low-budget films and videos. His multidisciplinary practice focuses on exploring power relations, both in interpersonal (often familial) relationships and between different groups in society. He draws satirical portraits-always with a respectful consideration for marginalized figures-that depict Mexico's class society, defined by rigid hierarchies. His work is often united by an ever-present sense of theatricality that questions the fine line between reality and fiction. Often from the perspective of an outcast, he highlights the macabre complexity of our position as human beings in the universe, deftly interweaving mockery, social critique and direct emotion. Calderón creates works from a mixture of vernacular references, employing a variety of media, including video, photography, sculpture and painting.

Calderón studied Fine Arts at the San Francisco Art Institute. He has been part of the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation Art Grant & Commissions program (2013), received The MacArthur Fellowship for Film and New Media (2000) and Bancomer/Rockefeller Fellowship (1995).