Signs of life (The Endless River Project) Resume 2025-2026 Established artists grant. Cultural Ministry of Michoacán Mexico.
The Endless River Project is a series of four large-scale paintings that explore the current environmental condition of Lake Pátzcuaro, which has been severely affected by recurring droughts in recent years. The project was supported by a grant from my country’s Ministry of Culture, through the Established Artists Program in Michoacán—an important validation of my artistic practice.
The project was originally titled Antes de que nos olviden (“Before We Are Forgotten”), but I later chose a title that felt more universal and more deeply connected to the symbolism of the Day of the Dead. The final title of the project is The Endless River Project.
The series is inspired by the flora of Lake Pátzcuaro—also known as Uranden—the setting of Michoacán’s traditional Night of the Dead celebrations. This ritual has fascinated me since childhood. Its significance in my personal life is such that my wife and I were married on November 2, crossing the lake by boat that night in the midst of a violent storm.
Drawing on the local ecosystem, the paintings offer a pictorial interpretation of the landscape intended to raise awareness not only of environmental degradation, but above all of the possibility of environmental recovery in this Purépecha region, recognized as part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.
Why this project...
Last year, images circulated widely on social media revealing the extreme drought affecting Lake Pátzcuaro, the site of Michoacán’s traditional Night of the Dead celebrations, which are recognized by UNESCO as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
The Lake Pátzcuaro region in Michoacán—whose name means “place of those who possess fish” in the Nahuatl language—has experienced a drought that has intensified over the past three decades. This deterioration is the result of water extraction, irregular avocado and berry cultivation, and changing climatic conditions.
Following the public alarm raised by these images, several initiatives were launched to protect water resources and restore the watershed, resulting in visible improvement in certain areas of the landscape.
This is the present reality of Lake Pátzcuaro today.
The representation of landscape and nature in painting has been a recurring theme throughout the history of art—from cave paintings and the textile motifs of Indigenous cultures, to the botanical forms of Art Nouveau, and the landscapes found in the later works of Damien Hirst.
Beyond the specific causes behind the neglect of this vital Mexican lake, producing a series of paintings that interpret these landscapes feels to me like a necessary act of documentation—one that invites reflection and critical questioning of our time.
Inspired by the local ecosystem, The Endless River Project seeks, through pictorial interpretation of the landscape, to draw attention to environmental degradation while, above all, affirming the potential for environmental recovery in this Purépecha region, part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.
This large-format painting features a section intervened with gold leaf texture, evoking the underworld — the symbolic space of the spirits. The surface also includes a calligraphic intervention that conceals a secret poem, and is crowned with an orange band alluding to the cempasúchil flower and the candlelight that guides the return of souls during Día de Muertos.
Originally, the project was conceived around the native flora of Lake Pátzcuaro. However, in recent years, local residents have begun cultivating small plots of cempasúchil, the iconic flower of the Day of the Dead festivities in the region. For this reason, I decided to incorporate this flower into the first phase of the project.
On a second visual level, two white circles representing skulls can be seen alongside an ambiguous vegetal form. These elements are framed by a deep red zone that evokes the stellar space, where various celestial bodies appear to float. The composition invites a dialogue between the ritual, the cosmic, and the organic, offering the viewer a passage through a liminal space between life, death, and memory.
Here you can watch the Video Process and some Details ;)
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Signs of life *SOL20251012 Mixed Media / Canvas 200 X 120 centimeters (79 X 47 Inches) 2025 I have ultimately decided to integrate the species "Ambystoma Dumerilii," better known as the Achoque or Pátzcuaro Axolotl. Regarding the flora, I had already been working on an abstraction of "Sagittaria Graminea," better known as Arrowhead. I am sharing images of the first drafts of the abstraction of this plant, which was finally integrated into the work in the form of a cartography, seemingly aquatic, which could be interpreted as representations of these regional axolotls.     Details of the painting:   VIDEO of the PROCESS: Third Painting: 
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Signs of life *SOL20251206 (King Achoque) Mixed Media / Canvas 200 X 120 centimeters (79 X 47 Inches) 2025 |
"Signs of Life" (King Achoque) explores the relationship between geometric forms and organic elements to depict fragments of an imagined society. Within this envisioned aquatic environment, an apparent axolotl form emerges as a symbol of regeneration and communal vitality. A red form suggests a Canoe.
Executed in acrylic and gold leaf on canvas, the piece presents a unique synthesis of Abstract Expressionism and Geometric abstraction.As I researched more and more about the Michoacán axolotl, an unplanned interest in this little creature was born.
I have been navigating the lake of the area (as much as possible) but have not been able to encounter it personally. One could try to "hasten" this meeting, but that would also mean intruding into its environment, as these salamanders appear to be very elusive.
I share with you more information that has enriched my research.
The "Ambystoma Dumerilii," better known as the Achoque or Pátzcuaro Axolot
In Aztec mythology, Xolotl was a god of fire and lightning. He was commonly depicted as a dog-headed man and was a psychopomp.He was also god of twins, monsters, death, misfortune, sickness, and deformities.
Like earthbound immortals, salamanders regenerate. If you cut off a salamander’s tail, or its arm, or its leg, or portions of any of these, it will not form a stump or a scar but will instead replace the lost appendage with a perfect new one, an intricacy of muscle, nerve, bone and the rest. It will sprout like a sapling. Science has been chopping up salamanders for more than 200 years with the aim of simply understanding the mechanics of their marvels, but more recently with the additional aim of someday replicating those marvels in ourselves. Might salamanders be the great hope of regenerative medicine?
A sexually mature adult axolotl, at age 18–27 months, ranges in length from 15 to 45 cm (6 to 18 in), although a size close to 23 cm (9 in) is most common and any greater than 30 cm (12 in) is rare. Axolotls possess features typical of salamander larvae, including external gills and a caudal fin extending from behind the head to the vent.
The axolotl serves as a potent metaphor, often symbolizing regeneration, resilience, and a connection to existential themes. It represents a liminal state between worlds, enduring potential, and the delicate boundary between reality and fantasy. This symbolism carries added poignancy given the creature's critically endangered status, embodying both hope through self-renewal and a lament for what is fragile and imperiled.
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