Pedro Reyes

Pedro Reyes has won international attention for large-scale projects that address current social and political issues. Through a varied practice utilising sculpture, performance, video, and activism, Reyes explores the power of individual and collective organisation to incite change through communication, creativity, happiness, and humour. A socio-political critique of contemporary gun culture is addressed in Reyes’s ongoing Palas por Pistolas, in which the artist worked with local authorities in Culiacán, Mexico, to melt down guns into shovels, then used to plant trees in cities elsewhere in the world. Similarly, in Reyes’ major continuing Disarm series, firearms confiscated by the Mexican government and donated to Reyes have been transformed into instruments, which are then activated by local musicians. Issues of community and compassion are addressed in Sanatorium, activated at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (2011), dOCUMENTA 13, Kassel, Germany (2012), The Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (2013) and at The Power Plant in Toronto and The Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami (2014). In this work, visitors are invited to sign up for a ‘temporary clinic,’ with the mission of treating various kinds of urban malaise. His immersive exhibition Doomocracy, organised by Creative Time at the Brooklyn Army Terminal, was a ‘political house of horrors’ marking the confluence of two events haunting the American cultural imagination at the time: Halloween and the 2016 US presidential election. Most recently, Reyes has worked with The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists and ICAN to stage anti-nuclear protests and performances across the world. Titled, Amnesia Atómica ZERO NUKES, this movement has found platforms in New York; Mexico City; Vienna and Oslo. Alongside these performative, socially engaged strands of his practice, Reyes continues to make sculpture. Carved in red and black volcanic stone, marble and jadeite, these often monumental works that weave between figuration and abstraction reference sources as diverse as Greco Roman statuary; British Modernism and Mesoamerican sculpture.

Reyes (b. 1972, Mexico City) lives and works in Mexico City. He studied architecture at the Ibero-American University in Mexico City. Solo exhibitions have been held with SITE Santa Fe, NM, USA (2023); MARTa Herford, Herford, Germany (2022); Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico (2022); MAAT, Lisbon, Portugal (2021); Museum Tinguely, Basel, Switzerland (2020); SCAD, Georgia, USA (2019); Creative Time, New York, USA (2016); Dallas Contemporary, TX, USA (2016); La Tallera, Cuernavaca, Mexico (2016); Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA, USA (2015); ICA, Miami, FL, USA (2014); The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada (2014); Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA (2011); Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, USA (2011); CCA Kitakyushu, Japan (2009); Bass Museum, Miami, FL, USA (2008;) and San Francisco Art Institute, CA, USA (2008). Reyes has participated in group exhibitions at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan (2015); The National Museum of XXI Century Arts (MAXXI), Rome (2015); Beijing Biennale, China (2014); Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK (2013); dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany (2012); Liverpool Biennial, UK (2012); Gwangju Biennial, South Korea (2012); Lyon Biennale, France (2009); and the 50th Venice Biennale, Italy (2003). In Fall 2016, Reyes served as the inaugural Dasha Zhukova Distinguished Visiting Artist at MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Recent, current and forthcoming projects

'DIRECT ACTION', SITE Santa Fe, NM, USA (3 Feb - 1 May 2023)

'Artists Against the Bomb', Judd Foundation, New York, NY, USA (28 Nov - 6 Dec)

Pedro Reyes
Tlacuilo

2021
Volcanic stone
Sculpture: 97 x 112 x 60 cm
Sculpture: 38 1/4 x 44 1/8 x 23 5/8 in
Base: 80 x 132 x 55 cm
Base: 31 1/2 x 52 x 21 5/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Totem (Huehueteotl)

2021
Tenzontle stone
230 x 75 x 70 cm
90 1/2 x 29 1/2 x 27 1/2 in

Pedro Reyes
Citlali

2021
Volcanic stone
Sculpture: 85 x 96 x 49 cm
Sculpture: 33 1/2 x 37 3/4 x 19 1/4 in
Base: 55 x 112 x 61 cm
Base: 21 5/8 x 44 1/8 x 24 in

Pedro Reyes
Tetla

2021
Acrylic on amate paper

Pedro Reyes
Cosmos

2020
Volcanic Stone
284 x 87 x 87 cm
111 3/4 x 34 1/4 x 34 1/4 in

Pedro Reyes
Olín

2020
Brown Tezontle
Sculpture: 90 x 90 x 53 cm
Sculpture: 35 3/8 x 35 3/8 x 20 7/8 in
Base: 50 x 84 x 60 cm
Base: 19 5/8 x 33 1/8 x 23 5/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Pliegue

2019
Carrara marble
60 x 22 x 28 cm
23 5/8 x 8 5/8 x 11 in

Pedro Reyes
Scribe

2019
Volcanic stone
71 x 44 x 78 cm
28 x 17 3/8 x 30 3/4 in
White plinth: 70 x 50 x 85 cm
White plinth: 27 1/2 x 19 5/8 x 33 1/2 in

Pedro Reyes
Seated Figure

2018
Marble
55 x 75 x 89 cm
21 5/8 x 29 1/2 x 35 in
Tezontle plinth: 88 x 140 x 84 cm
Tezontle plinth: 34 5/8 x 55 1/8 x 33 1/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Seer

2018
Volcanic stone
65 x 74 x 52 cm
25 5/8 x 29 1/8 x 20 1/2 in
Sandstone plinth: 104 x 80 x 67 cm
Sandstone plinth: 41 x 31 1/2 x 26 3/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Jaguar

2018
Volcanic stone
64 x 71 x 43 cm
25 1/4 x 28 x 16 7/8 in
Sandstone plinth: 104 x 83 x 62 cm
Sandstone plinth: 41 x 32 5/8 x 24 3/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Spiral Nude

2018
Bronze
70 x 103 x 45 cm
27 1/2 x 40 1/2 x 17 3/4 in

Pedro Reyes
Lithophone (Hexatonal)

2018
Black Marble
110 x 35 x 29 cm
43 1/4 x 13 3/4 x 11 3/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Infinity Chair

2018
White Marble
85 x 200 x 95 cm
33 1/2 x 78 3/4 x 37 3/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Versus Machina

2018
Bronze
154 x 119 x 90 cm
60 5/8 x 46 7/8 x 35 3/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Double Helix

2018
Bronze
72 x 72 x 78 cm
28 1/4 x 28 1/4 x 30 5/8 in
ed. 2 of 5 + 2 APs

Pedro Reyes
Protester III

2018
Bronze
120 x 50 x 36 cm
47 1/4 x 19 5/8 x 14 1/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Codex (Red)

2018
Concrete
119 x 117 x 10 cm
46 7/8 x 46 1/8 x 3 7/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Machinic Phylum I

2017
Concrete and steel
53 x 67 x 12 cm
20 7/8 x 26 3/8 x 4 3/4 in

Pedro Reyes
Machinic Phylum II

2017
Concrete and steel
71 x 54 x 12 cm
28 x 21 1/4 x 4 3/4 in

Pedro Reyes
Sunstone

2016
White onyx
80 x 27 x 25 cm
31 1/2 x 10 5/8 x 9 7/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Totem

2015
Volcanic stone
227 x 91 x 109.5 cm
89 3/8 x 35 7/8 x 43 1/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Disarm: Installation view, Lisson Gallery, London

2013
Installation view

Pedro Reyes
Disarm: Installation view, Lisson Gallery, London

2013
Installation view

Pedro Reyes
Disarm LP

LP record

Pedro Reyes
Disarm (Trigger Puller)

2013
Metal
118 x 170 x 170 cm
46 1/2 x 66 7/8 x 66 7/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Disarm (Xylophone)

2013
Metal
43 x 35 x 30 cm
16 7/8 x 13 3/4 x 11 3/4 in

Pedro Reyes
Disarm (Kalashniclock)

2013
Metal
110 x 115 x 115 cm
43 1/4 x 45 1/4 x 45 1/4 in

Pedro Reyes
Disarm, (Violin III)

2013
Metal
Approx dimensions: 67 x 23 x 13 cm
Approx dimensions: 26.4 x 9.1 x 5.1 in

Pedro Reyes
Disarm (Psaltery)

2013
Metal
32 x 89 x 24 cm
12 5/8 x 35 x 9 1/2 in

Pedro Reyes
Disarm (Psaltery)

2013
Metal
32 x 89 x 24 cm
12 5/8 x 35 x 9 1/2 in

Pedro Reyes
Disarm (Pan pipes)

2013
Metal
18 x 21 x 15 cm
7 1/8 x 8 1/4 x 5 7/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Disarm (Mechanized)

2012
Recycled Metal Installation comprising of 8 mechanised instruments Dimensions variable

Pedro Reyes
Disarm (Wind Chime)

2013
Metal
166 x 65 x 65 cm
65 3/8 x 25 5/8 x 25 5/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Chac Mool

2022
Jadeite
70 x 82 x 36 cm
27 1/2 x 32 1/4 x 14 1/8 in
Plinth: 94 x 100 x 71 cm
Plinth: 37 x 39 3/8 x 28 in

Pedro Reyes
Tsontekotl

2022
Volcanic stone
78 x 70 x 75 cm
30 3/4 x 27 1/2 x 29 1/2 in
Plinth: 100 x 115 x 70 cm
Plinth: 39 3/8 x 45 1/4 x 27 1/2 in

Pedro Reyes
Tonametl

2023
Tezontle stone
108 x 104 x 39 cm
42 1/2 x 41 x 15 3/8 in
Plinth: 86 x 125 x 75 cm
Plinth: 33 7/8 x 49 1/4 x 29 1/2 in

Pedro Reyes
Tlatoani

2023
Volcanic Stone
338 x 108 x 113 cm
133 1/8 x 42 1/2 x 44 1/2 in

Pedro Reyes
Amoxcalli

2023
Volcanic Stone
282 x 58 x 53 cm
111 x 22 7/8 x 20 7/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Detente

2023
Marble
55 x 114 x 43 cm
21 5/8 x 44 7/8 x 16 7/8 in
Plinth: 94 x 150 x 86 cm
Plinth: 37 x 59 x 33 7/8 in

Pedro Reyes
Selene

2023
Oil on Amate Paper
Diptych. Each: 244 x 122 cm
Diptych. Each: 96 1/8 x 48 in

Pedro Reyes
Tlatohli

2023
Oil on Amate Paper
244 x 122 cm
96 1/8 x 48 in

Pedro Reyes
Pedro Reyes: Installation view, Lisson Gallery, Los Angeles

2023
Installation view

Pedro Reyes
Pedro Reyes: Installation view, Lisson Gallery, Los Angeles

2023
Installation view

Pedro Reyes
Pedro Reyes: Installation view, Lisson Gallery, Los Angeles

2023
Installation view

Pedro Reyes
Pedro Reyes: Installation view, Lisson Gallery, Los Angeles

2023
Installation view

Pedro Reyes

Recent, current and forthcoming projects

Exhibitions