Demián Flores
Demián Flores Cortés (Juchitán de Zaragoza, Oaxaca; 1971) is a contemporary Mexican artist who works in multiple media.[2] Juchitán is a regional commercial center but culturally very distinct from Mexico City, with its matriarchal society (women hold most of the social and economic power) and its acceptance of gays and transgender people.In 2007, it received support from the Alfredo Harp Helú Foundation to expand its work including residencies, educational program and the production of art exhibitions.[7] The largest project Flores did with Curtiduría was the restoration of the Santa Ana Zegache, located near the city of Oaxaca, working in cooperation with Georgina Saldaña Wonchee and sponsored by the Rodolfo Morales Cultural Foundation.[13][14] He participated in the Primer Encuentro de Gráfica y Escritura called “Libre tiraje,” a conference dedicated to dialogue and reflection on the graphic arts.[15] Residencies and grants have included Cité Internacionale des Arts, Paris (2002), London Print Studio (2004), Jóvenes Creadores-FONCA (1995 and 1999), the Pollock-Krasner Foundation (2006), Fomento a Proyectos y Coinversiones Culturales for a project called la Gráfica como práctica Artística Contemporánea (2009) and since 2010, he has been a member of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte .[2] His paintings have a dream-like quality and mix images from Mexico’s past and present, such as the god Quetzalcoatl, pre Hispanic warriors, female fertility figures, pyramids, Benito Juárez and comic book characters.[3][4] He frequently appropriates images from pop culture, especially baseball and lucha libre, but also Superman, Popeye, Bugs Bunny, Memín Pinguín, soccer players and prizefighters.