Dodi Espinosa

Dodi Espinosa (MX, 1985) is an interdisciplinary artist originating from the vibrant heart of Mexico City, where the colourful tapestry of archeology, shamanism and syncretism shaped his worldview and artistic sensibility. Now a Belgian citizen he calls Antwerp his home. His creations encompass performance, installation, objects, painting, workshops, among others. Each infused with inspirations from archaeology, sacral art, pop and indigenous cultures, and his characteristic tongue in cheek.

His works have earned places in institutional and museum collections in both Belgium and the Netherlands. This acknowledgment not only underscores his reputation but also amplifies the cross-cultural dialogues he aims to cultivate.

The artworks of Espinosa are more than just visual expressions; they are profound messages and call to societal awakening. He reflects on a myriad of societal challenges, from mental health and identity to race and sexuality. His art acts as a bridge, linking the past with the present, the deeply personal with the universal. As a queer voice with a postcolonial lens, he offers a unique and confessional perspective, pushing boundaries and prompting deeper introspection on issues that touch us all.

While his initial work gravitated towards object-based art, his recent endeavours over the last years reflect a conceptual shift towards social experimentation, installation, performance and a more collective paradigm.

"Wonderland," is a versatile sculptural work inspired by the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland." The piece's interpretation varies with perspective: from afar, it appears as a composition of 3 floating balloons, but up close, it reveals itself as inverted hanging ropes, characterized by the distinctive knots and made from construction rods. This ambiguity is intentional, designed to provoke thought in the spectator.

Espinosa's choice of construction rods is deeply personal, reminiscent of his childhood in Mexico. Many homes there, including Espinosa's, feature unfinished construction rods protruding from roofs. This material choice serves as a metaphor for his exploration of desire and attachment—themes that can bring both pleasure and pain. The artwork invites viewers to reflect on how far they are willing to go for what they desire and the sacrifices they are prepared to make. Espinosa's "Wonderland" encapsulates the duality of our planet, offering both joy and suffering.

"Delirium" is a ceramic bas-relief in 3 pieces by Dodi Espinosa, inspired by an engraving of a slave hanging from the ribs by British artist William Blake. In Espinosa's new composition, the body struggles to stay in balance on top of a pile of stones, with the constant threat of collapse. The head has been replaced by a laughing skull mask, referencing Mexican iconography. The fluorescent green background is intended to resemble a witch's cauldron, and the rest of the relief is finished with a marble-like texture that evokes lightning.

Handcrafted in ceramic tiles, this haunting piece captures the torment and resilience depicted in Blake's original work. Espinosa's interpretation transforms the two-dimensional engraving into a tactile, three-dimensional experience, amplifying the emotional impact. The use of ceramic adds a fragile, yet enduring quality, symbolizing the persistent struggle and suffering of the oppressed. "Delirium" serves as a universal portrait of the existential struggle to live and maintain balance amidst chaos.

The Popol Vuh is a sacred and the oldest Mayan myth about the creation of life on earth, ancestry, history and cosmology. The text is divided over many books where at the end humans are successfully created from maize. The protagonists of this story has a very close connection to maize as well. The face is depicted in the characteristic Mayan archetype of beauty with a big nose and elongated skull.

Ceremonial artifact that can be used to burn incense. The name 'Mictlantecuhtli' refers to the Aztec God of death. This object has been previously used in cleansing and healing rituals. The cult of death in Mexico is connected to the idea of renewal.

Chaac is the name of the Mayan god of rain, thunder and lighting. With his lighting axe, Chaac strikes the clouds, causing them to produce thunder and rain. Chaac corresponds to Tlaloc among the Aztecs. The ritual mask shows a crack that looks like a thunder as well. The face is depicted in the characteristic Mayan archetype of beauty with a big nose and elongated skull. This object shows the importance of water.

Ceremonial artifact that can be used to burn incense. Coralillo refers to a poisonous snake. The cult of death in Mexico is connected to the idea of renewal.

This meditating man represents the artist. Dodi Espinosa believes that by reaching a state of awakening, trance or deep concentration man embodies his true self. In this state of mind he rediscovers his animal side and becomes one with nature and the universe. The sculpture refers to a monkey since according to Espinosa’s date of birth, his name in Nahuatl - the language spoken by the Aztecs - would be 'Ozomalcalli' or 'House of Monkeys'.

This ritual mask depicts a god as an orangutan. With the animal masks the artist aims to bring animals to the state of sacred entities instead of inferior species as a counterbalance to speciesism. The masks are seen as a vehicle to embody sacred animal entities, something that is rooted in indigenous Latin American mythology. The orangutan refers to the artist’s name in Nahuatl -the language spoken by the Aztecs- which is Ozomalcalli or House of Monkeys.

This mask depicts a couple of skulls intertwined in an eternal kiss. 'Amor Eterno' is a typical song from Mexico, and commonly played during funerals especially for mothers. The grandmother of the artist for example asked the mariachis to play this song during his great grandmother’s funeral. The funeral, accompanied by the song, has always stayed with him as a beautiful and moving event.

There exist more than 90 species of parrotfishes, named after their unusual dentition, which is distinct from other fish, Their numerous teeth are arranged in a tightly packed mosaic on the external surface of their jaw bones, forming a parrot-like beak with which they rasp algae from coral and other rocky substrates. They are found in coral reefs, rocky coasts, and seagrass beds, and can play a significant role in bioerosion. This mask represents an imaginary animal deity, protector of both animal worlds; below and above the sea.

These ritual glasses looking like snail tentacles are believed to give you the capacity to look through the eyes of the animal or insect world. This way we can better understand other living beings. The glasses are inspired on Inuit glasses, which are often very narrow.

Ritual masks and objects are often ascribed healing powers. The artist made this mask as a humorous vehicle to heal him from his chronic rhinitis.

Quetzals are strikingly colored birds, mostly green, found in southern Mexico and Central America. These types of birds were very important in Pre-hispanic mythology. They were considered divine and associated with Quetzalcoatl: a feathered serpent deity and god of life, light, knowledge and the winds. The Aztecs and Mayans venerated them, and used their name in various Mesoamerican languages, where the word quetzal can mean things like precious, sacred, king, warrior or prince.

This mask reflects on the artists’ concerns about the impact of fish consumption, which is killing life on earth. We must do all we can to protect our oceans and stop this destruction before it's too late. The ocean is home to up to 80% of all life on earth, it produces 50-80% of the oxygen on earth and absorbs four times the amount of CO2 as the Amazon rainforest. The fishing industry is the biggest killer of wildlife on earth. Up to 2.7 trillion fish are caught every year, meaning around 5 million fish are killed every single minute.

This sculpture of a sexy Batman is named after the artist's favorite Mexican wrestler when he was a kid. Tinieblas means darkness and bat deities are very common in Aztec and Mayan cultures. For example Camazotz, an ancient Maya god known as the ʻDeath Batʼ. He was often portrayed as an anthropomorphic leaf-nosed bat. Camazotz was a god of death, night, and sacrifice. Experts believe the god was inspired by the giant vampire bats that used to swarm the skies over Central America. One of these species of bats, Desmodus draculae, is now extinct, but its nearly two-foot wingspan and tendency to prey on animals as large as deer likely contributed to the idea of a vicious, bat-like god. The Zapotecs believed that bats represented death because they often saw them flying out of the sacred cenotes, or caves that they believed were portals to the underworld.

This ritual mask depicts an entity in a state of trance. These kinds of altered states of mind are very common in the artist’s work. He is very interested in practices that can empower or enhance our mental capacities, from shamanism, ritual dances and music to yoga and deep concentration through meditation.

Funky mask inspired by the poplar 80s song

Calaveritas or 'Little skulls' is an edition of 29 small skulls inspired by the Mexican tradition of making skulls out of sugar. This tradition is typical for the day of the dead in Mexico, but has its origins in pre-hispanic times. These sweet skulls are often placed in altars during the day of the dead and they are used to remember those who are gone. They are also given as presents for loved ones who are still alive, as a reminder that the only certain thing in life is death. These sugar skulls often have the names written on their forehead, in this case the artists’ family name, Espinosa.

It is believed that Sainte Odile suddenly recovered her sight after being baptized with the name of Odile. The story says that it was an Angel who led a bishop to the place where he baptized her. This work is part of Espinosa's series of autobiographical creations documenting a spiritual search, using links to sacred art and archeology with an emphasis on Mayan art and their canons of beauty; big noses and elongated skulls. In the case of 'Sainte Odile' the work shows his interest in syncretism as a way to mix powerful symbols loaded of meaning, in order to create new references that connect with the present time when cultures collide. 'Sainte Odile' bears a typical Mayan head in contrast with the hand, the tunic and the book with eyes, which are characteristic of European representations of Sainte Odile in Alsace, France. In this way, this work, is a reflection on cultural encounters.

Espinosa made this work after the Japanese Haiku by Matsuo Basho:

The old pond-

a frog leaps in,

sound of the water.

'Elixir' is connected to the shamanistic and healing practices of the Mayans and other Latin American ethnic groups, but it also refers to the use of psychoactive plants for spiritual purposes all around the world; like the Datura plant in the cult to Lord Shiva. The work explores the idea of a non-western approach to the use of traditional -psychoactive- medicines. This work depicts God Shiva, who represents the high self with Mayan features. The artist used syncretism; which is characteristic of his practice. Shiva is one of the most important deities within Tantric philosophy and practice. According to Akhand Sutra, Lord Shiva, “The Lord of Dissolution and Regeneration”, can convert even highly poisonous products into immortal nectar (Amrit). This is the central essence and the core message of the Churning of the Primordial Ocean (Samudra Manthan).

Brahman connotes the highest Universal Principle, the Ultimate Reality in the universe. In major schools of Hindu philosophy, it is the material, efficient, formal and final cause of all that exists. It is the pervasive, infinite, eternal truth and bliss which does not change, yet is the cause of all changes. Brahman as a metaphysical concept refers to the single binding unity behind diversity in all that exists in the universe. Brahman is a key concept found in the Vedas, and it is extensively discussed in the early Upanishads. The Vedas conceptualize Brahman as the Cosmic Principle. In the Upanishads, it has been described as the unchanging, permanent, highest reality. The shape is inspired on an X-ray of the artists' teeth. He was was very interested in representing the subconscious, the big mind behind.

Rafflesia is a Feminist piece, it depicts the strength and liberation of women, or of the feminine side of the artist. It is inspired on his mother. Re-visiting the myth of Kali Goddess, the piece is inspired on traditional Hindu representations of Kali Goddess, as well as the paintings of Artemisia Gentileschi - Judith Slaying Holofernes-. Rafflesia is the flower with the largest bloom in the world. It is a genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family of Rafflesiaceae, All found in South East Asia.