Alebrijes are sculptures of Mexican folk art depicting fantastic animals and creatures. Pedro Linares López (1906–1992), a Mexican artist, who used the cartonería technique (creating with paper pulp), which was popular among folk artists, is considered to be their creator.
The origins of alebrijes are associated with the artist's illness, which he fell into in the 1930s. Lying unconscious in his bed, he dreamt of an unusual place, similar to a forest. He saw trees, animals, rocks and clouds there. They suddenly turned into extraordinary chimeras. He saw a donkey with butterfly wings, a rooster with bull's horns and a lion with an eagle's head, and they all shouted: “Alebrije! Alebrije!”. After his recovery, he reconstructed them with the use of cardboard, glue and papier mâché and called them alebrijes.
The figures are made of papier mâché (cartonería technique) and wood. The artists create them from paper pulp and use a frame made of reed or wire to form the base. They then model the mould using paper and glue. Wooden alebrijes, on the other hand, are made of soft and easy-to-handle Bursera wood. Both wooden and paper ALebrijes are painted with strong colours and intricate patterns. They are considered examples of surrealism in Mexican folk art. Their authors combine features of various animals and fairy and mythology characters. They are inspired by, among others, images of bulls, birds, maritime creatures, devils or mermaids. They have been popularised by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, who fell in love with their extraordinary images. Their colourful decoration and unusual, fantastic form fascinate both Mexicans and foreigners.
The exhibition presents works by Irving Mondragón Laguna, Óscar Becerra Mora and José Luis Massey Aguirre. All of the exhibits belong to the collection of Mexican Embassy in Poland.
The exposition is accompanied by the exhibition "Joy of Life. Mexican Folk Art from the Stanisław Kasprzyk Collection" (March 31st–November 19th 2023).
March 31st–May 23rd 2023
Vernissage: March 30th 2023, 6:00 P.M.
Curator: Katarzyna Findlik-Gawron
Organizer: Muzeum Narodowe w Szczecinie
Photographs by: Arkadiusz Piętak, Ewa Sitarek
The exhibition is accompanied by a series of educational workshops and events (held in Polish).
- ALEBRIJES! ALEBRIJES! Fantastyczne stworzenia z kolekcji Ambasady Meksyku w Polsce
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- ALEBRIJES! ALEBRIJES! Fantastyczne stworzenia z kolekcji Ambasady Meksyku w Polsce
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- ALEBRIJES! ALEBRIJES! Fantastyczne stworzenia z kolekcji Ambasady Meksyku w Polsce
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- ALEBRIJES! ALEBRIJES! Fantastyczne stworzenia z kolekcji Ambasady Meksyku w Polsce
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- ALEBRIJES! ALEBRIJES! Fantastyczne stworzenia z kolekcji Ambasady Meksyku w Polsce
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- ALEBRIJES! ALEBRIJES! Fantastyczne stworzenia z kolekcji Ambasady Meksyku w Polsce
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- ALEBRIJES! ALEBRIJES! Fantastyczne stworzenia z kolekcji Ambasady Meksyku w Polsce
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