Mod Cárdenas (born Guatemala 1982) is a contemporary visual artist and pioneer of Guatemalan street art. His geometric yet gestural works that teeter between the abstract and the figurative have evolved from the street to the galleries, overcoming the perceived boundaries between urban and fine art. He calls himself an optical abstractionist and figurative illusionist, working across painting, sculpture, and public installation.
Cárdenas grew up under the long shadow cast by the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-96), where authentic expression was often discouraged. In art, he discovered a powerful honest voice. Drawing on the punk philosophies of DIY, he dedicated his youth to acquiring creative skills that enabled him to speak his truths without fear. While a self-taught artist, he found a way to study alongside the Guatemalan art masters, working in a diverse range of mediums including painting, drawing, and sculpture. Cardenas cemented his artistic legacy in the 1990s as his work helped shift perception about art appearing on the city streets. Working anonymously for almost 15 years, his work eventually gained recognition by the art world and greater public.
Alongside his art, Cardenas pursued a career in Clinical Psychology, that has informed his approach to the effect of color and form on the psyche. Today, he continues to grow and experiment with his practice, integrating new technologies such as 3-D printing.
Cardenas has exhibited extensively around the world with 13 solo exhibitions and more than 50 group shows, in addition to his murals and public art installations locally and abroad. His work has received numerous honors including the Highly Commended Award from SAP in Australia, Honorific Mention by Fundación Rozas Botrán in Guatemala, and a finalist position at GAA in Dubai. He was also recognized by the Finance Minister of Guatemala for his contribution to Guatemalan culture and by the Congress of the Guatemalan Republic for his impactful contributions and elevation of the art and culture produced in their country. His work is included in collections such as the Guatemalan National Congress Collection, the Luciano Benetton Collection in Italy, and the Fundación Rozas-Botrán Museum in Guatemala.
Artist Statement
I create paintings, sculptures, drawings, and interventions that dissolve into abstract forms, optical illusions, and distortions of reality. Creating a coherent chaos out of our collective human unconscious. I am drawn to the physical elements of architecture and space, how they interact with light and color, and the resonances of these elements with the human psyche.
Borrowing from the ancient Mayans of my region, I use plants and the earth to create pigments, combining these methods with those gained from my years of experience as a street artist– industrial paints and applications, spray paint and stencils, as well as construction materials–that grant the sense of freedom of expression and direct engagement with the urban space.
Informed by my background as a trained psychologist, it is important for me to use both ancient and modern materials as I explore the possibilities of abstraction as a way to tap into the universal human experience.
CV
Solo exhibitions:
Pintura y escultura, Galería 77, Galería 77, Guatemala, 2022
Narrativa visual, La Galería, Fundación Rozas-Botrán, Guatemala, 2021
Expresiones alternas, Galería Panza Verde, Antigua Guatemala, 2021
Muestra Personal, Sala del Artista, Casa Santo Domingo, Antigua Guatemala, 2021
Muestra Personal, galería Quarentena, Chile, 2020 (Online)
Muestra Personal, El Convento, Antigua Guatemala, 2019
Percepción Alterna, Galería Alianza Francesa, Guatemala, 2019
Conexiones Universales, Galería Punto Cero, Guatemala 2018
Retrospectiva, Galería 77, Guatemala 2018
Visual Aesthetics, MBC, Guatemala 2018
Dualidad Intrínseca, Galería 77, Guatemala 2017
Recorrido, Galería Punto Cero, Guatemala 2017
Diálogo Urbano, Galería Fundación G&T Continental- Guatemala, 2016
Duo exhibitions:
Abstracciones, con artista SOFT, Casa Municipal, Guatemala 2016
Altos Contrastes, con artista Sandra Ariz, Yantra Studios – Guatemala, 2014
Bienales
Florence Biennale, Artista Invitado, Italia 2019
Art fairs
Art Palm Beach, USA, 2022
Art Miami, Context, USA, 2021
Pinta, Miami, USA, 2020
Market Art + Design, Hamptons, USA 2018
Art Santa Fe - Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2018.
Art expo New York, NYC, USA 2018
Art Las Vegas, Las Vegas, USA 2018
Red Dot Art Fair, Miami, USA 2017
Art San Diego, San Diego USA 2017
Group exhibitions (post 2014 *for earlier exhibitions please inquire)
Guest artist, Centro cultural, Taipei, Taiwan 2022
Juannio Subasta de fin de año, MUNAM, Guatemala, 2021
Museo UNIS, Ventanas del tiempo, Guatemala, 2021
Juannio Subasta de fin de año, MUNAM, Guatemala, 2021
Juannio Subasta, Guatemala, 2021
Arte en mayo, Fundación Rozas-Botrán, Guatemala, 2021
Juannio Subasta, Guatemala, 2020
Arte en mayo, Fundación Rozas Botrán, Guatemala, 2020
Festival 14, Guatemala, 2020
Juannio Subasta, Museo Arqueología, Guatemala, 2019
Arte en mayo, Fundación Rozas Botrán, Guatemala, 2019
Ecléctica, Fundación Rozas-Botrán. Guatemala 2019
11+, Museo Ixchel, Guatemala 2018
Julio bohemio, Museo Ixchel, Guatemala 2018
Arte en mayo, Fundacion Rozas-Botran, Guatemala 2018
Reflejos, West Palm Beach, USA 2017
Contemporaneo – La galería, Guatemala, 2017
Arte en Mayo, Fundación Rozas Botrán, Guatemala 2017
Pop Art, Galería 77, Guatemala 2017
Stencil Art Prize – Sydney, Australia 2016
FilmStudios, Miami, Florida, USA, 2016
Colectiva Junkabal, - Guatemala, 2016
Arte en mayo, Galeria Fundacion Rozas Botran, Guatemala 2016
Distrito Cultural Zona Viva- Guatemala, 2016
Colectiva Junkabal, - Guatemala, 2015
BIB Biennale WTC Suffolk University, Boston. 2015
Te Amo Te Odio, Galería Casa Municipal, Guatemala,2015
Distrito Cultural Zona Viva- Guatemala, 2015
Arte en mayo, Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno- Guatemala, 2015
Desvío, Galería Viva – Galería Fundación Rozas-Botrán, Guatemala, 2014
ART AUCTION, Un Caballo de Batalla – Fundación Rozas-Botrán, Guatemala, 2014
Antología – Galería Fundación Rozas-Botrán – Guatemala, 2014
Arte en mayo, Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno- Guatemala, 2014
Distrito Cultural Zona Viva – Guatemala, 2014
Selected commisions:
Mural, Streets levels Gallery, Florencia, Italia, 2019
Mural 50 mts, Ministerio de Finanzas, Municipalidad de Guatemala y Fundación GyT Continental, Guatemala, 2019
Neo mural – Fundación Rozas Botran, 2019
AVIA – Intervención de estructuras, Guatemala, 2019
Intervención de ventanal en Aeropuesto Internacional La Aurora, ciudad de Guatemala. 2018
Edficio Murano Center, Guatemala, Mural, 2018
Edificio Murano Center Guatemala, Mural, 2017
Centempo Investments, Miami, United States, Mural en edificio, 2016
Ciudad de Guatemala, Interbanco, Intervención sobre esculturas de metal, 2016
Intervención sobre estructura pública, Guatemala Capital Iberoamericana de la cultura, 2015
Ciudad de Guatemala, Mural para Edificio Topacio Azul, 2014
Printed publications and printed art catalogs
2021, Ventanas en el tiempo. Art from Central America, UNIS MUSEUM
2019, Florence Biennale, ISBN 9788849858921
2019, Arte en mayo 2019, Fundación Rozas-Botrán
2018, Arte en mayo 2018, Fundación Rozas-Botrán
2017, Mod Cardenas: Dualidad intrinseca, Galeria 77
2017, Arte en Mayo 2017, Fundación Rozas-Botrán
2016, Guatemala: Memory and timeless avant-garde, Luciano Benetton, ISBN 9788899657130
2016, Arte en Mayo 2016, Fundación Rozas-Botrán
2015, Entre Siglos: Arte contemporáneo de Centro América y Panamá, Fundación Rozas-Botran, ISBN 9789929406865
2015, Arte en Mayo 2015, Fundación Rozas-Botrán
2014, Arte en Mayo 2014, Fundación Rozas-Botrán
2013, Un caballo de batalla, Subasta de arte, Fundación Rozas-Botrán