RESIDENCY Research and Creation
Gilberto Esparza
August 14 - September 19, 2026
Gilberto Esparza's artistic process unfolds as an open-ended inquiry, fueled by experimentation, collaboration, and learning. Each project begins with a question about a specific phenomenon, whether it be a polluted river, urban infrastructure, an ecosystem, or a living organism. This initiates a process of observation, fieldwork, and dialogue with residents of diverse communities and specialists from various disciplines. The artwork gradually takes shape from the knowledge and encounters that emerge from this journey.
His practice combines methodologies specific to art with tools from biology, engineering, electronics, and robotics. Technology, however, never occupies the central place in his work. Rather, it allows him to construct systems capable of interacting with their environment and revealing processes that are generally invisible. He thus creates hybrid organisms where technological devices, microorganisms, energy, and environmental conditions interact.
During his residency at Frelighsburg, he will produce a piece entitled SIDERAL – Gravity Without Borders, Celestial Fields , which will be presented at Bishop Stewart Church starting September 19. This installation is part of the multi-site exhibition An Assembly for the Cosmos , presented jointly at the UQAM Gallery and MICA | Institut d'art contemporain de Montréal. It also falls within the long-standing partnership between Adélard and Espacio México Montréal / Consulate of Mexico in Montreal. It also forms part of the long-standing partnership between Adélard and Espacio México Montréal / Consulate of Mexico in Montreal. More information about the exhibition will be coming soon!
Biography
Gilberto Esparza is a Mexican artist born in Aguascalientes in 1975. He currently lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He studied visual arts at the University of Guanajuato and the Faculty of Fine Arts in San Carlos. His practice lies at the intersection of art, science, and technology, with a particular interest in environmental issues and the relationships between life forms and their environment.
His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Mexico, Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He has received several awards, including the Golden Nica in the Hybrid Art category of the Ars Electronica Awards, second prize at the Fundación Telefónica's VIDA 13 Awards, an honorable mention at Ars Electronica, and the VIDA 09 Ibero-American Production Award. He is a member of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (National System of Art Creators).
