Saudade

What pieces or projects have you been working on lately? 

Since September 2024, I have been working on a project called Saudade. Both the project and I have changed a lot since I started it, but we have always maintained our essence. When I began working conceptually, my vision was for it to be a poetry book; I was writing a lot. Those writings eventually transformed into images that I created in my mind and that, over time, I began to produce. When the images and texts started leaving gaps for me, I began to draw; I was sketching all the time, but I no longer felt the need to materialize them or turn them into photographs. Finally, I arrived at plastic arts; it felt like something the project itself was asking me to explore, to work more with physical mediums.

Saudade delves into the depths of my personal history: how we simultaneously consume—and are consumed by—places and relationships, including ourselves. It’s the transition from leaving what is supposed to be “home”, the place where I was meant to have a sense of belonging in a territory, and beginning to find it in new spaces with the bonds I was connecting with.

The project unfolded in three phases. The first focused entirely on home, the house where I grew up, which I now visit as a guest whenever I return, just passing through for a few days, exploring what the crisis of belonging felt like. The second phase looked at the role that personal bonds played in the places I inhabited; losing a connection with someone often brought with it a rejection of the places we once shared. The third phase confronted how I engaged with these bonds: how they absorbed the space around them, and in turn, how the space absorbed me.

In the end, where does belonging remain? Everything becomes a cycle, and belonging becomes temporary: nothing lasts. “People become places, and places become people”.

After a year of going through writing, photography, drawing, alternative analog processes, and plastic arts, Saudade is now in preparation for its first solo exhibition, which will take place on November 27, 2025, at Sitio Centro, Monterrey, Nuevo León.

My affection for it is immense, and I really like it both visually and in terms of the themes it addresses. I had done other projects such as La incomodidad que nos llevó a la muerte de nuestro hogar (cuerpo) and ARCHIVOS DE UNA MEMORIA, but this one in particular has helped me grow significantly as an artist. 

What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them? 

That everything changes all the time, and that’s okay; we have to give space for change to continue evolving constantly, but at the same time, we must remain firm and not hesitate in what we do.

I learned to confront myself, to be honest with what I felt, to have patience, not to rush, and to enjoy the process. To value effort and forgive in order to heal with the places that were painful to revisit.

What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head? 

Fear, shame, nostalgia, fleetingness, trust, gratitude, and love.

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work? 

I remember that the first four months of this project were pure exploration; I was coming from a creative block, from being afraid of doing the same thing as always and getting stuck. I had recurring conversations with Víctor Palomares, who at the time was teaching documentary photography, and I remember that in one conversation he told me that I should look toward the place I came from, to dig deep until I found where the urge to speak and create came from. Being from a small town in the south of Nuevo León, my context was quite different, and it was from there that I began to realize the crisis of belonging I carried.

In my work, there is always music accompanying me, and this time was no exception. 

Earlier this year, I came across the word saudade. It resonated deeply with me, stayed marked in my being, and weeks later, Kevin Kaarl released his album ULTRA SODADE. For me, it was the perfect alignment, because I first identified with the word, and I connected it strongly to this crisis of belonging I was experiencing at the time. Afterwards, the songs from ULTRA SODADE seemed to understand what I was going through; they made me reflect on my closeness with the bonds I had and those I have now. So, it was present throughout the process of this project, as well as his album Paris Texas.

Norteño music also played an important role; it was key in reconnecting with the place where I grew up.

The songs that accompanied me most during the process were:

What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process? 

I tend to sabotage myself, which is a big problem and creates many obstacles; I start doubting what I do, and that slows me down. I’ve been dealing with this for a long time, but the way I’ve been managing it recently has made it less complicated.

Another challenge has been how indecisive I can be, wanting everything to be perfect; that has disrupted my creative process more than once.

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you recommend we order? 

Not a restaurant exactly—it’s a small café. I highly recommend the sesame latte at Cr@ck Coffee lab.

And a place that accompanied me throughout the Saudade process was McDonald’s, with a Spicy Chicken McTrio. 

If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack? 

The title would be Where We Come From, everything is very different.

And for the soundtrack, I would choose Kevin Kaarl; I trust that he would know what to do with the accumulation of feelings I hold inside and create a song that perfectly fits the situation.

Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working. 

One of the artists who inspired me a lot when I was first entering the art world was Liza Ambrossio. From the moment I saw her work, I was visually amazed; I had never seen anything like it, and it made me feel free to create. There were no limits to what I wanted to say, to express the strangeness that accompanies me.

Otro, sin duda, es Alfredo Cano, llegó y me movió todo, su manera de trabajar hacía que me sensibilizara mucho más con el entorno.

I began collaborating with him, and seeing firsthand how he approached people, tackled projects, and never stayed on the surface of a subject, helped me tremendously. I learned to always keep “scratching” through the layers of our feelings and the world around us.

He made me question things that no one else had before, which sparked many thoughts and connections, helping me continue weaving my project.

Without a doubt, he was essential for Saudade, it would not have become what it is today.