Aurelio del Muro Balandran: Lands of Wandering Souls.
Trazos Errantes.

Curator Alena Alekseeva

Closing Reception: August 24, 2024, at 2 pm with Mariano Aguirre's performance at 2:30 pm and a Fandango Jam Session at 3:30 pm.

RSVP HERE

Del Muro Balandran’s artistic process is rooted in the principles of action art, eschewing planned compositions in favor of intuitive creation. His work juxtaposes forms and shapes drawn from a rich tapestry of influences, including pre-Hispanic and medieval art, art of the Americas, newspaper layouts, and his own subway sketches.

Using charcoal, watercolors, and the serendipitous colors found on newspaper surfaces, the artist creates pieces that bridge the gap between his Mexican heritage and contemporary artistic expression. Del Muro Balandran often incorporates traditional Mexican imagery and ordering systems, such as references to the Codex Fejervary-Mayer, a pre-Columbian manuscript.
In recent years, themes of migration, birds, and trees have dominated his work, reflecting both personal experiences and broader cultural narratives. Through his art, del Muro Balandran explores the interplay between solitude and connection, history and modernity, understanding and mystery.

A Fandango is a traditional call for a get-together for the community in New York and nearby cities. Son Jarocho is a music genre from the South of Mexico. They bring their instruments, and attire and celebrate by playing music and singing.

Aurelio del Muro is an artist and a musician. He was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and came to New York City in 1978. For many years, Aurelio dedicated all his artistic efforts to stone carving. In 2002, he began to take his art in a new direction, exploring the figure using charcoal and ink. In 2022, in partnership with Painter Marta Blair, he created a large-scale mural for a residential building administered by Communilife. He belongs to the Mexican Folk Music group “Son Pecadores” and plays the Tuxtleco violin, the Jarana (small rustic guitar), and the cello.

Mariano Aguirre is a concert and teaching artist. Among his prizes as a performer are the Artist International Award and the Gregory Prize for Excellence in Performance. He has performed in the United States, Latin America and Europe at venues including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall in New York, Conservatorio de las Rosas and Centro Nacional de las Artes in Mexico, Les

Musicales de l'Abbaye in France among many other venues. Mr. Aguirre is a professor of guitar, chamber music and music theory. He is currently on the faculty at Hofstra University, Mannes School of Music and Molloy University. He has given master classes and lectures at many universities and festivals including the Guitar Foundation of America Convention, the New York Guitar Seminar, the Baryshnikov Center Arts Festival, the National University of Mexico, the Taxco and Paracho Guitar Festivals and Xalapa University.