Modern Art

The rich imagery of modern Wixarika art, from the late 1950’s to present, was for many years (1950-1990) most notable in the yarn-paintings depicting Wixarika mythology and cosmology. Occasionally some artists would create small beaded paintings. Particularly since the early 2000's, the traditional bead work has expanded and encompasses a variety of different objects covered with beads, while the traditional bracelets, necklaces, and earrings have evolved into much more elaborate designs. Today, creative explorations by Wixarika artists continue to evolve. For this reason, it is possible to find forms of art that seek a link with traditional objects, while others incorporate newer materials and mediums that retain traditional and mythological content.

Our Modern Art section is dedicated to the six artists that Juan and Yvonne Negrín worked with and collected yarn paintings from from the 1970s through the early 1990s: José Benítez Sánchez, Tutukila Carrillo Sandoval, Guadalupe González Ríos, Xitaima Lemus de la Cruz, Juan Ríos Martínez, and Yauxali Pablo Taizán. All of these artists are considered among the most important Wixarika creators of the 20th century and we feature their finest works here. Juan Negrín took special care to audiorecord the explanations of each of these works, which later permitted him to draft written explanations that could support the public's understanding of the stories behind each artwork. These explanations are featured alongside each of the featured paintings. All Wixarika-language explanations were done by Tutukila Carrillo, Eulalia Carrillo and Vicente Carrillo.

Stay tuned as we add more content to each artist's page.