In September 2023, Alberto Aguilar begins a residency at the Pueblo Unido Gallery. Working with students in the youth program, Aguilar will source the components for Archivo Común/Common Archive – an exhibition informed by the artist’s interest in the artistic possibilities and multiple meanings of everyday objects. The resulting sculptures, comprised of the arrangement and juxtaposition of found materials, will be installed at the Pueblo Unido Gallery. A film chronicling the process of making the exhibition will also be produced in collaboration with the youth program. Archivo Común/Common Archive extends the logic of Aguilar’s Domestic Monuments series, in which the artist created sculptures from items collected in individual’s homes and his work mining museum archives in exhibitions such as Yo Soy Museum for the National Museum of Mexican Art. Archive will become a document of the history of Centro Romero, its advocacy on behalf of immigrant communities, and its role in the lives of the those it serves.

Aguilar’s residency will also include a series of programmatic events including a film screening and a mole-making party to celebrate Mexican Independence Day on September 16th.

Alberto Aguilar is a Chicago based artist that uses whatever material is at hand in an attempt to make a meaningful connection with the viewer. He does not distinguish his art practice from his other various life roles which allows him to make work wherever he is. He has shown and presented his work at various museums, galleries, storefronts, homes and street corners around the world.

Some of these include the Queens Museum, El Torito Supermercado, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, the corner of Cesar Chavez Ave and North Broadway in Los Angeles, CA, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit, Chicago City Hall, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Museo Del Jamon in Madrid, Spain, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Chicago River Jackson Bridge, The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, El Cosmico Trailer Park, Marfa, TX, El Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales, Havana, Cuba, Iowa rest stop I-80. His work is in the collection of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Jorge Lucero Study Collection, Soho House, Meta – Facebook, The National Museum of Mexican Art, The Office of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Along with some members of his family he collectively organizes Mayfield, a multi-use space which operates on the grounds of his home. He is the recipient of the 3Arts Award.​​​​​​​

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Tags: Alberto Aguilar, Alberto Aguilar: Archivo Común/Common Archive, Archivo Común/Common Archive, Chicago, Pueblo Unido Gallery