Reflective of ektor garcia’s own philosophy, the nomadic artist’s latest exhibit at James Fuentes, esfuerzo, confronts viewers with feelings of unfamiliarly and wonder, asking them to look within the space of their subconscious, reject those patterns and rewire their relationship with discovery.

Utilizing materials like ceramic, leather, glass and copper to create sheets, threads and makeshift links, garcia limits himself to no one ruleset, instead pushing back against what would traditionally be classified as “success” in order to continue to explore his – and viewers – own imaginative ability. The result is a practice that is perpetually evolving, both known and unknown, diving into unchartered territory and seeing the creations that come from it.

“It takes an intrepid and serious spirit to both acknowledge the “success” of one’s work in the studio and then to step back into the studio the next day with new eyes, set on discovering the unknown and unpredicted,” shares friend of garcia Cy Gavin. “This is how I have seen ektor work for as long as I have known him.”

In this exhibit, ektor cedes control of his medium, an act of vulnerability yet one that establishes his collaborative relationship with the universe around him. It is in this relationship that his work shines, encouraging curiosity in the viewer and humility within himself.

The 38-year-old California-born nomadic artist received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and MFA from Columbia University, New York. His work is included in the collections of the Whitney Museum, New York and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and he has presented solo exhibitions at Cabaret Voltaire, Zurich; SculptureCenter, New York; Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle; Empty Gallery, Hong Kong; Cooper Cole, Toronto; and kurimanzutto, Mexico City. Curated by Laura Brown, ektor garcia: esfuerzo is on view at the James Fuentes gallery through April 23, 2023.