Exhibitions
Gabriel de la Mora and the allure of matter
From September 25, 2025, to February 8, 2026, La Petite Mort , an exhibition spanning more than two decades of Gabriel de la Mora's artistic production, will be presented. Conceived as a thematic exhibition, it offers a cross-sectional view of a practice that has made material transformation and wear its conceptual and formal axes.
Born in Mexico City in 1968, De la Mora has developed a unique visual language through processes reminiscent of contemporary alchemy. His work is constructed through meticulous and, in many cases, extreme operations that transform materials laden with history or fragility into surfaces of haunting and refined beauty.
The exhibition brings together works created using highly complex technical procedures, such as the dissection and assembly of butterfly wings or human hair arranged in strict geometric compositions. These practices are complemented by works in which the artist recovers fragments of historic ceilings—marked by the passage of time and neglect—to reconfigure them on canvas, transferring architectural memory to the pictorial realm.
In contrast, other pieces arise from the direct action of elemental forces such as fire and water, which act upon paintings, prints, and papers until they are on the verge of disappearing. In these works, erosion, combustion, and deterioration are not collateral effects, but active agents of creation.
La Petite Mort thus proposes a reflection on the transformation, loss and persistence of matter, placing the work of Gabriel de la Mora in a territory where the sensual and the destructive, the meticulous and the violent, coexist in a delicate balance.
Curated by Tobias Ostrander, La Petite Mort explores the allure of surfaces in the work of Gabriel de la Mora, going beyond the visible to delve into the unconscious impulses and desires that constantly permeate his practice. The title alludes to both death and ecstatic sexual pleasure—"la mort petite," a French expression associated with orgasm—and articulates a reflection on loss, abandonment, and sensory experience.
The exhibition is structured around six thematic sections linked to the body, erasure, heat, the edge of desire, touch, and the viewer's pleasure. After its presentation at the Jumex Museum, the exhibition will travel to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey (MARCO).
