MORIS (ISRAEL MEZA MORENO)
Mexico, 1978
His work revolves around themes that address representation, social and subjective agency, urban issues and marginal cultures often taken for granted in mainstream society. Informed by constant field work, the issues Moris’ researches have been an intrinsic part of his daily life since childhood, and pertinent to both his personal and professional formation. The street and social space in general are his laboratory for investigating issues, gathering data, analyzing visual cultures, and vernacular aesthetics. Observing, integrating, and learning the diverse social codes of the urban underclass and underworld; their spoken dialects and semiotics; their strategies for survival; and informal use of aesthetics in their environments in order to make daily life more humane and dignified are the driving ethos for Moris’ work.
His work is part of many important public and private collections worldwide including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City, Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), Los Angeles, La Colección Jumex, Mexico City, and FEMSA Collection, Monterrey Mexico. Major exhibitions include “Mi casa es tu casa”, Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND), MOCA Geffen Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA.; “Un animal pierde la vida porque otro tiene hambre (An animal dies because another is hungry)”, Museo Experimental El Eco, Mexico City, Mexico and has been a representative at the 9th Havana Biennale, Havana, Cuba and the 30th São Paulo Biennial, São Paulo, Brazil in 2012.